- Joe Biden is visiting Ireland and will commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement.
- Preparations are underway in Belfast and Dublin, with increased police presence.
- Biden is expected to draw crowds, with some traveling from distant places to attend his speech in Ballina, County Mayo.
U.S. President Joe Biden can expect a warm welcome in Ireland this week despite concerns about the large security operation that have seen an increased police presence in Belfast and Dublin.
Biden will begin his visit in Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom, and will arrive in Belfast on Tuesday evening local time where streets have already been cordoned off.
One Belfast taxi driver pointed to the fact that the famous Europa Hotel, once known as the most bombed hotel in the world, is just a short walk from Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) cordons and notable but noteworthy but not huge police presence.
"It's just like it was 30 years ago," the Belfast native told Newsweek. "It was like this with all the police, all the cordons."
He was referring to the long period of sectarian violence in Northern Ireland known as the Troubles, which lasted more than 30 years and saw more than 3,500 people dead.
Biden will commemorate the 25th anniversary of the signing of a landmark peace deal, the Good Friday Agreement, during a visit to Ulster University on Wednesday morning.
Biden's Irish Pride
Signed on April 10, 1998, the agreement has been marked by commemorations on both sides of the border—but not everyone on the island is old enough to remember the days before the historic peace deal was inked.
Mahon Maloney and Katie Barnes are students at University College Cork in Cork, the second city of the Republic of Ireland, which most locals describe as "the real capital."
Maloney and Barnes belong to the generation born after the peace deal, but they're in no doubt about its importance, or why Biden's visit is something to be welcomed. Barnes is 21 and Maloney will celebrate his 22nd birthday on Wednesday as Biden marks the Good Friday Agreement.
"I think it's important to keep the Irish-American connection," Maloney told Newsweek on Tuesday, saying that mass emigration from Ireland caused by the Great Famine of the mid-19th played a role.
President Biden's own Irish ancestors came to the United States in the 1840s and 1850s after the famine, which devastated the population of the island.
"I like his Irish national pride," Maloney said. "I like that he's proud of it and he doesn't hide it. We've seen him talking about it. Of course, he's a proud American as well."
"Some people don't like him. I think it's half and half," Barnes told Newsweek. "It's nice that he has an interest."
When it comes to the Good Friday Agreement, Maloney and Barnes agreed that the deal remained of major importance.
"My parents would talk about it," Maloney said. "I think it's good to bring people together."
'I Haven't Seen This Much Fuss Since the Pope Visited'
Preparations also seem to be underway in Dublin, with those who live in the city noticing an uptick in operations by the Garda Síochána, the Irish police force.
"Heard sirens up and down Kilmainhan and the Liberties this morning," said Rob Cross, who works in finance in the city. "They're closing off the bins on the streets, too."
Pictures of bins covered by black plastic bags sealed with police tape have been circulating on social media. When reached for comment by Newsweek, the Garda Síochána said they did not comment on matters of national or international security.
"I haven't seen this much fuss since the pope visited," Cross told Newsweek.
Drawing Crowds in Mayo
Biden also appears to be drawing crowds already, with some planning to travel to his major public speech at St. Muredach's Cathedral in Ballina, County Mayo on Friday over significant distances.
One man, from the market town of Macroom in rural County Cork heading to Belfast on business told Newsweek his wife and both of her sisters had registered for tickets. They're originally from Castlebar, County Mayo.
"All the McNeely sisters are going to see Biden, there's a story for you," the man said, noting that the journey from Cork to Mayo would be a long one for his wife.
Is there anyone who doesn't approve of Biden's visit to Ireland?
"Not at all!" came the man's response. "You wouldn't find them."
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Darragh Roche is a U.S. News Reporter based in Limerick, Ireland. His focus is reporting on U.S. politics. He has ... Read more
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