Roughly 27,000 people gathered at the foot of St. Muredach’s Cathedral, constructed in part with bricks made by Biden's great-great-great grandfather.
Biden's approval rating
Here, he was greeted by fans at every turn. The streets of Ballina teemed with people holding Irish and U.S. flags, lining up for blocks and blocks along the narrow streets. While Biden toured a Catholic shrine earlier in the day and was briefed on his ancestors at a heritage center, musicians and dancers entertained the massive crowd for hours. A cheer burst from the crowd as his helicopter arrived overhead.
It’s a dynamic that most of Biden’s predecessors also have experienced: The world abroad tends to love American presidents. Back home, not always. Not so much. Biden referenced many a poet on his trip, but one in particular was particularly meaningful to him on Friday — that of his great grandfather Edward Francis Blewitt, who grew up in Scranton, Pennsylvania, after the Blewitts arrived in the U.S.
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