I'm home

The story of the President of the United States, Joe Biden, is the story of thousands of Irish-Americans, and he articulated that story with passion and love for his motherland on his visit to Ireland. When Irish-Americans say they are Irish, we ignore them because it is clear to us that they are not Irish at all. They are not referring to the bare facts, as it is clear that the majority of them are not Irish according to those criteria. But they are referring to a primal instinct that they feel strongly due to the genetic and cultural connection they have with their motherland. Their true love for Ireland was passed down from generation to generation. They are always proud of their Irish heritage. Joe Biden is the epitome of an Irish-American, without question. He expressed his solidarity with the people of Ireland and proudly revealed the truth to the people of Ireland and the world for that matter. "Tá mé sa bhaile” (I'm home), he said, and no one had any doubts about his authenticity. There is no doubt that Joe Biden is the most Irish American President we have ever seen!

Biden as President

Biden has done a lot to make his democratic vision a reality, and in the process he has also done a lot to correct Trump's terrible mistakes. Biden is not America's most charismatic President, nor the best orator either. Presidents like Reagan and Obama were far more capable in those respective fields, for example. Biden is an ordinary person like us, struggling his way through life. He is an honest and enthusiastic politician, rare traits for politicians to have. But don't be fooled by his unhurried style, as he has achieved many great things. There is not space to discuss them all here, but I will mention a couple. In 2021, Biden signed a $1 trillion infrastructure bill to rebuild America's infrastructure – including roads, bridges and railroads. It is one of the biggest packages ever signed by a president and it was high time to invest like that in the country's infrastructure. Trump promised a bill like this hundreds of times, but all he was all mouth! Last year, Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act. It will provide a total of $739 billion, about half for health care and the other half ($369 billion) for funding in renewable energy resources and to reduce pollution of all kinds. This is the most expensive climate law ever enacted in the history of the world! It was not easy for Biden to pass those acts, because there were dissenters even in his own party (especially Senator Joe Manchin in West Virginia). But it did the job, and that's the most important thing!

‘Till I stand in the middle of County Mayo!

Although I do not agree with all the views of the President, I mostly agree with his democratic vision which is in complete contrast to the refpublican vision - and it is an exaggeration to use the term vision in this case! In particular, I agree with the few acts I mentioned earlier. As with Biden, Mayo has a special place in my heart! I was born in Ballina, and my family is originally from Mayo going back hundreds of years. I have close relatives in Bangor-Erris on the Mulllet Peninsula in County Mayo, where my father is from. Edward Blewitt, Biden's great-great-great-grandfather, is a native of Ballina in County Mayo. Patrick Blewitt left Ballina to emigrate from Ireland in 1850 and went to Scranton, Pennsylvania, the same place where Biden was born 90 years later. Blewitt sold 27 thousand bricks to St Mary's Cathedral in 1827 and they were used to build the cathedral. Consequently, Blewitt was able to buy tickets for his family to be sent to America.

My parents were married in the same cathedral in 1955, and a few years later I was baptized there! When my parents were still alive, our whole family went on road trips to Ballina a few times, and we were able to see St. Muradech's Cathedral from our hotel. And recently, Biden was outside the same cathedral, giving a great speech. The strong ties between America and Ireland were very clear to me right there on a personal level.

Strange life, isn't it?

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