Irish people fawning over US Presidents is “unseemly”, according to Newstalk Breakfast presenter Shane Coleman.
Air Force One is due to land in Belfast this evening, with Joe Biden embarking on a four-day tour of the island of Ireland.
Over the years, JFK, Richard Nixon, Ronald Regan, Bill Clinton, George Bush and Barack Obama have all visited Ireland in an official capacity.
President John F. Kennedy's motorcade through the city of Cork. Credit: "Robert Knudsen, White House/John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Boston"Large anti-war protests were organised during Nixon and Bush's visits but most have been received enthusiastic welcomes - a little too enthusiastic, in Shane's opinion.
“I’m kind of torn on it a little bit,” he told Newstalk Breakfast listeners.
“I do find the kind of doffing the cap, rolling out the red carpet and ingratiating ourselves with US Presidents, I find it a little unseemly.
“I remember watching a whole load of journalists queueing up to shake hands with Bill Clinton, I felt kind of awkward about it at the time and I still feel awkward about it.
“Against that, one of our listeners summed it up very well in a text earlier on, ‘They’re a huge ally of ours, they are a hugely important player in the Irish economy, in our country [and] they played a huge role in the peace process. It is great to have an ally like Joe Biden - the world’s most powerful person - and it would be stupid of us not to roll out the red carpet.’
“I’m kind of conflicted - but I don’t think we’ve any choice but to welcome him.”
Co-presenter Jonathan Healy said the strong relationship between Ireland and America is likely to weaken in the decades to come.
"I think there's a shelf life on this relationship," he said.
"It's purely down to age and demographics; the number of people who have a direct link to the island of Ireland is decreasing.
"People coming here to find to find their relatives are not finding their grandfather or great-grandfather anymore - there's a couple of extra 'greats' that are being thrown in."
During his visit President Biden is due to visit Belfast, Louth, Dublin and Mayo.
Main image: Split of Joe Biden and Shane Coleman.
