What already promised to be a day of high energy but also great emotion for President Biden had even more in store than even his closest aides could have expected.
The Rev. Frank O’Grady, who now serves at Knock Shrine, had been an Army chaplain based at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in 2015 when Beau Biden died from brain cancer. The priest's presence at the shrine Friday was not something aides had anticipated, and he was not on the original guest list. The president became emotional at the chance encounter, the official said.“It seemed like a sign,” he said.
Biden has detailed how, in his son's final days, Beau urged him to not let his grief overwhelm him, and asked his dad to promise he would remain engaged in public life. In October 2015, five months after Beau died, Biden announced he would not run in the 2016 presidential race, citing the emotional toll on his family.
When Biden was declared the winner of the 2020 election, one of the biggest celebrations in Ireland was in Ballina. The County Mayo town of more than 10,000 includes descendants of Edward Blewitt, a brick seller who sold 27,000 bricks used to build the Catholic cathedral where Biden spoke on Friday.
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.
Hunter Biden firm sought Irish government investments while Biden was VP, raising questions about Ireland tripPresident Biden took his embattled son Hunter to Ireland this week after Hunter previously tried to do business in the country via his Rosemont Seneca Partners firm.
Read more »
At Knock Shrine, Biden meets priest who gave Beau last ritesPresident Joe Biden was moved to tears Friday during a stop at a Catholic shrine when he discovered that a chaplain working there had performed last rites on his late son Beau Biden, according to the parish priest. Knock Shrine is a pilgrimage site where, according to Catholic lore, Saint Mary, Joseph and John the Evangelist appeared near a stone wall. Biden touched the remaining old wall, and toured the site with priest Father Richard Gibbons, who said he discovered on Friday that the Father Frank O’Grady working at the site was the same one who’d performed last rites, a ceremony in the Catholic faith that spiritually prepares them for death, for Beau.
Read more »
Biden basks in Ireland's welcome as he highlights personal and political ties | CNN PoliticsPresident Joe Biden is spending much of his trip to Ireland this week exploring his family's roots, from the shoemaker who sailed from Newry in 1849 in search of a better life in America to the brick-seller in Ballina who sold 28,000 bricks to pay for his own family's passage to the US.
Read more »
Biden urges Northern Ireland to sustain peace, reap gainsOn his first presidential visit to Northern Ireland, Biden dangled the prospect of more American investment to help fuel economic growth — especially if Belfast’s fractious politicians resolve a stalemate that has put their government on pause.
Read more »
Biden in Ireland encourages nations to 'dream together'Holding up his own family history as an example, President Joe Biden on Thursday told lawmakers in a packed parliament house that the story of Irish immigrants setting sail for the U.S. is at the very heart of “what binds Ireland and America together.” In his address, Biden stressed the importance of economic ties, a united front on Ukraine and a shared urgency to manage climate change. Biden addressed the parliament as part of his four-day trip to Ireland and Northern Ireland, where he also met with country leaders and took a whirlwind tour of his ancestry.
Read more »