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. “He said, ‘I’m going to come back into Ballina.’ And sure to God he’s going to come back into Ballina,” Blewitt said. “His Irish roots are really deep in his heart.”The 43-year-old plumber was among Biden relations invited to the White House for St. Patrick’s Day last month. The Irish Family History Centre says Biden “is among the most ‘Irish’ of all U.S. Presidents” — 10 of his 16 great-great grandparents were from the Emerald Isle. The trip is also a reminder of the central role of Irish Americans in U.S. political life.

Source: The Nation April 08, 2023 07:04 UTC