Joe Blewitt is just about the busiest man in Ballina. His phone rings constantly with calls from locals and the world's media as he prepares to welcome a relative - U.S. President Joe Biden.
Biden is scheduled to travel to Ireland next week, with a stop in Ballina, the town from which one of his great-great grandfathers left for the United States in 1850. Blewitt, a distant cousin who first met Biden when he came to town as vice president in 2016, said the U.S. leader pledged to return once he’d won the presidency.
“He’s a people person. He loves meeting the Irish people,” said Blewitt, who shares Biden’s high forehead - he says people joke that he looks like the president “from the mouth up.”Buildings are getting a new coat of paint and American flags are being hung from shopfronts in Ballina, a bustling agricultural town of about 10,000 at the mouth of the River Moy in western Ireland that proclaims itself the nation’s “salmon capital.
The White House says Biden will visit Belfast, Northern Ireland, on Tuesday and Wednesday to mark 25 years since the Good Friday peace accord, before heading south to the Republic of Ireland, where he will address the Dublin parliament. In Ballina, he’s due to deliver a speech Friday in front of the 19th-century cathedral, which local lore says was built partly using bricks supplied by his great-great-great grandfather, Edward Blewitt, a brickmaker and civil engineer.
“There’s a great sense of euphoria around the place. Everyone is asking ‘What’s happening, when’s he coming, where’s he going?’” said Andrea McKevitt, a local politician and distant Biden relative. “My name is Barack Obama, of the Moneygall Obamas, and I’ve come home to find the apostrophe we lost somewhere along the way,” he joked to a crowd in Dublin.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to Challenge Joe Biden in 2024Democrat Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has pledged to challenge President Joe Biden in his 2024 reelection bid, joining Marianne Williamson as one of the few Democrats to do so.
Read more »
5 Clues That Joe Biden Is Already RunningIt’s time to stop pretending he isn’t.
Read more »
Opinion | Why Trump's indictment shouldn't worry Joe BidenThe idea that prosecutors will be launching an avalanche of criminal investigations into future former presidents just doesn't make sense.
Read more »
Joe Rogan slams ‘f–king crazy’ articles about ‘misgendering’ Nashville shooterPodcaster Joe Rogan slammed the cultural outrage over misgendering a school shooter, and spoke with journalist Michael Shellenberger about how such ideology is a sign of civilization in decline.
Read more »
2024 US Election Betting Odds: Joe Biden Still in Front Following Donald Trump IndictmentRobert F. Kennedy Jr, nephew of former U.S. president John F. Kennedy has announced he will run against Biden for the Democratic nomination. bet365 has him at +10000 to become president in 2024. For a full list of presidential odds:
Read more »
At long last, Trader Joe's may finally come to Hayes ValleySupervisor DeanPreston announced Wednesday that 555 Fulton Street should soon be under control of a new owner that promises progress on the long-delayed arrival of a Trader Joe’s.
Read more »