WATCH: Joe Biden’s St Patrick’s address where he fumbles arguably the best-known Irish language phrase (and implies the Irish are stupid)

Joe Biden gave a number of speeches on and in the run-up to St Patrick’s Day, at which he extolled his Irishness.
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Two of them at least did not pass off without incident.

The first was when he stumbled over the words ‘cead mile failte’ – one of the best known stock phrases in the Irish language.

That was in an address to the 30th National Gala of the Irish Funds (which describes itself as “a global philanthropic network established in 1976 to promote and support peace, culture, education and community development”).

Joe Biden on a visit to Ireland when Obama's vice presidentJoe Biden on a visit to Ireland when Obama's vice president
Joe Biden on a visit to Ireland when Obama's vice president
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The second was at the Annual Friends of Ireland Luncheon (a gathering of politicians), when he opened by implying Irish people are stupid.

Both can be found on this video, which gives a brief taste of the US President’s speeches, during which he expounds on his ties to the island.

In addition, senior Democrat Nancy Pelosi read a poem by Bono, comparing St Patrick to Ukraine’s embattled leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

She said: “I got this message this morning from Bono. Bono has been a very Irish part of our lives. And he said this...”

Oh St. Patrick, he drove out the snakes /

With his prayers, but that’s not all it takes /

For the snake symbolizes /

An evil that rises /

And hides in your heart /

As it breaks /

And the evil has risen my friends /

From the darkness that lives in some men /

But in sorrow and fear /

That’s when saints can appear /

To drive out those old snakes once again /

And they struggle for us to be free /

From the psycho in this human family /

Ireland’s sorrow and pain /

Is now the Ukraine /

And Saint Patrick’s name now Zelenskyy.

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The music and current affairs magazine Rolling Stone described her contribution with the following headline: “Pelosi Sees Putin’s War Crimes and Raises Him a Bono Poem.”

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