Earlier at the White House, he was presented with a bowl of shamrocks from Leo Varadkar, known as the taoiseach, a tradition that began in 1952. The shamrocks made it to the White House last year even though then-prime minister Micheál Martin didn’t. Biden, who often speaks of his Irish heritage and is fond of quoting Irish poets, declared March Irish-American heritage month. The White House even dyed the water of the South Lawn fountain green for the occasion. The 1998 Good Friday peace accord largely ended the conflict, known as “the Troubles,” but small IRA splinter groups continue to mount sporadic attacks on security forces.

Source: The Herald March 17, 2023 06:09 UTC