US President Joe Biden is a “proud son of Ireland” and is always welcome to visit, according to the Justice Minister.
Reports this morning suggest President Biden is planning on visiting Ireland for six days at the end of April.
The Irish Mirror reports that 'high-level talks' are underway, with the trip timed to coincide with the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement.
The US president is expected to spend two days in Dublin and two in Belfast, while also visiting family members in Mayo and possibly Louth too.
Former President Bill Clinton is also expected to make the tip to mark the occasion.
Son of Ireland
Speaking this morning, interim Justice Minister Simon Harris said President Biden is always welcome.
“The United States played such a major role in helping get the Good Friday Agreement in place and obviously we are marking the 25th anniversary of that agreement in the month of April,” he said.
“I think President Biden is a proud son of Ireland and, if the president does decide to come he will obviously be most welcome.”
The US Secret Service will reportedly visit Ireland in the weeks ahead of the visit to carry out security sweeps of proposed locations.
While the trip is expected to take place at the end of April, final dates and details have yet to be arranged.
As I Remember It
As the 25th Anniversary of the accord approaches, Newstalk’s latest podcast As I Remember It: Bertie Ahern & The Good Friday Agreement looks back at the peace talks through the eyes of the people that were in the room.
The series features exclusive interviews with the likes of Bill Clinton, Tony Blair and Senator George J. Mitchell in conversation with Bertie Ahern.
For bonus content including interviews, videos, an interactive timeline of the peace process and a full glossary of the key players head to newstalk.com/goodfridayagreement.
You can hear Episode One here:
Follow the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Google Podcasts
Download, listen and subscribe on the Newstalk App.
