President Biden: Irish relatives eagerly awaiting 'cousin Joe'

"You'd cognize there's Irish roots successful him due to the fact that he's bully craic like."

That's 1 Irishman's instrumentality connected US President Joe Biden, and helium would know, being related to him.

Back successful 2016, the White House called the Irish Family History Centre, asking it to hint Mr Biden's ancestry up of an upcoming visit.

After weeks of searching parish records and onshore registers it compiled a database of his closest surviving relatives - galore of who knew thing of the connection.

Enter the Blewitts of Ballina, County Mayo, and the Finnegans of Carlingford, County Louth.

And some visits to some counties diagnostic connected the US presidents whistle-stop itinerary of Ireland and his cousins cannot hold to spot him backmost to cement the connections made during his sojourn successful 2016.

Proud of his Irish heritage, President Biden said helium was brought up connected stories of the "faith and fortitude" of his relatives that near Ireland.

"I grew up successful a household wherever my gramps and grandma Finnegan, each my mother's brothers and my begetter told america astir the courageousness and committedness it took for our relatives to emigrate from Ireland - successful the midst of calamity - to distant shores wherever they didn't cognize what awaited them," helium told RTÉ successful 2016.

The Blewitt household are linked to president Biden done his great-great-grandfather, Patrick, whose lad Edward emigrated from Ballina to the United States successful the 1800s, settling successful Pennsylvania wherever helium assisted successful the readying and layout of Scranton - the sister metropolis to Ballina.

The household were alert of their transportation to the US person for decades, and met Mr Biden successful 2016 and helium made a 2nd sojourn to Mayo astatine their invitation successful 2017.

According to Joe Blewitt, it was during this travel that helium told his Irish cousins helium would 1 time instrumentality to Ballina "as president".

"Of people I knew it was true.

"He's been successful authorities each his beingness - that antheral was bound to beryllium president truthful I'm perfectly delighted," Mr Blewitt told BBC News NI.

The Blewitts person visited the White House respective times, astir precocious past period for St Patrick's Day.

"It was a surreal, precise peculiar time for us... It's conscionable 1 of those days erstwhile [it] goes excessively fast," Mr Blewitt said.

He speaks fondly of the president, describing his distant relative arsenic a down-to-earth, genuine quality with a speedy wit.

"He loves jokes... You'd cognize there's Irish roots successful him due to the fact that he's bully craic like."

True to his word, Mr Biden is acceptable present a code to the radical of Ballina this Friday.

"We're each blessed to spot him... It's large for the country, it truly conscionable tightens the adjacent enslaved betwixt America and Ireland," Mr Blewitt added.

Mr Biden's nationalist code volition instrumentality spot extracurricular St Muredach's Cathedral which was constructed utilizing bricks sold by Edward Blewitt successful 1828 - 27,000 of them earned him £21 and 12 shillings (£20,000 today).

It was this wealth that afforded the household of 10 to yet acceptable sail to New York connected the SS Excelsior successful 1851.

About 250km (155 miles) to the eastbound of Ballina, the president volition nexus up with Finnegan broadside of the household tree.

Owen Finnegan emigrated to the US successful 1849.

His household followed a twelvemonth aboriginal and settled successful Seneca, New York, with their namesake yet being passed connected to the president's ain descendants - 1 of his grand-daughters is named Finnegan Biden.

Fianna Fáil councillor for the country Andrea McKevitt told BBC News NI that "the ambiance is electric" crossed the Cooley peninsula arsenic residents hole to invited Mr Biden with a oversea of stars and stripes.

Ms McKevitt is simply a distant cousin, related done the president's great-great-grandfather Owen.

Andrea McKevitt's household were oblivious to the transportation until 2016 erstwhile White House officials contacted her uncle to interruption the news.

"I deliberation astatine the opening helium thought idiosyncratic was joking but past erstwhile we had paperwork and started looking into it, it proved to beryllium existent indeed," she said.

Ms McKevitt was besides successful attendance astatine this year's St Patrick's Day solemnisation astatine the White House, thing she described arsenic a "pinch-me moment".

"It was a household event," she joked.

"It wasn't until it was implicit I thought: 'Oh my God, I can't judge that's conscionable happened.'

"You're surviving successful a imagination astir for the full time waiting to spell successful and erstwhile you yet got determination it was conscionable amazing."

And done the Finnegans there's a Kearney transportation with President Biden's 5th relative erstwhile removed getting an invitation to the White House past month.

Former Ireland planetary rugby subordinate Rob Kearney was singled retired of the crowd, conscionable a time earlier Ireland champion England to with the Six Nation's Grand Slam, with the president nailing his colours to the mast.

It's expected Mr Biden's engagements successful Louth volition beryllium connected a smaller standard than those connected the other broadside of the state successful Mayo, but Ms McKevitt insists determination is nary rivalry betwixt the 2 counties.

"We're blessed to fto Mayo tally with the large nationalist address. Here successful Dundalk we had President Clinton code america successful 1998, truthful we can't get each the limelight," she said.

With the president's sojourn timed to coincide with the 25th day of the Good Friday Agreement, Ms McKevitt said it sends a "really strong, important message" to the radical of Ireland.

"There was a woody made 25 years ago. It's clip for america to support moving and getting connected to the adjacent signifier of the bid process," she said.

"Hopefully his manus of contented and manus of relationship tin guarantee that much enactment continues to beryllium done truthful bid remains connected this island."