Irish America

Irish America

Joe Biden

President-elect Joe Biden’s Irish roots – from fleeing Famine Ireland to winning the White House

By Niall O'Dowd, Publisher
November 7, 2020

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President-elect Joe Biden's rich Irish ancestry helped lead him to the White House. As is true in the case of Presidents John F. Kennedy, Barack Obama, Ronald Reagan, and now Joe Biden, the Irish Famine had the untold impact of creating a US president by sending their forefathers to America. Biden's folks, who came to America trailing broken dreams and heartache, likely … [Read more...] about President-elect Joe Biden’s Irish roots – from fleeing Famine Ireland to winning the White House

Crossing Over

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Beginning in the 1930s, the Irish became more visible in the ranks of Republicans, disrupting decades-old loyalties writes Robert Schmuhl From the time of the Great Hunger through the early decades of the 20th century, the American Irish tended to be nearly as faithful to the Democratic Party as to the Catholic Church. Big-city political organizations worked with machine-like … [Read more...] about Crossing Over

Joe Biden Opens Irish Hospice

By Olivia O’Mahony, Editorial Assistant
October / November 2017

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Former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden visited County Mayo in September to preside over the official sod-turning ceremony of a new €10 million 14-bed Mayo/Roscommon Hospice unit in Knockaphunta, Castlebar, where one of his Irish cousins, Laura Blewitt, is employed. Biden first pledged to support the project when he met his cousin in Washington, D.C. in January, and made good on … [Read more...] about Joe Biden Opens Irish Hospice

Joe Biden Receives Surprise Medal of Freedom, May Return to Ireland This Summer

By Adam Farley, Deputy Editor
February / March 2017

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In January, Barack Obama surprised former Vice President Joe Biden with the highest honor that can be bestowed on an American citizen by the government – the Presidential Medal of Freedom with Distinction. It was the only one he gave out during his presidency. Biden admitted he was taken by surprise and had no idea the award was being given, thinking he was attending a dinner … [Read more...] about Joe Biden Receives Surprise Medal of Freedom, May Return to Ireland This Summer

Weekly Comment: Joe Biden Awarded Medal of Freedom

By Olivia O'Mahony, Editorial Assistant
January 13, 2017

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Vice President Joe Biden was surprised with a tribute of the highest honor when awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by his president and close friend Barack Obama on Thursday. Obama presented the medal – the highest form of civilian honor existing in the United States – “with distinction,” an additional level of esteem, for the first time in his presidency, and called … [Read more...] about Weekly Comment: Joe Biden Awarded Medal of Freedom