‘I was impressed’: President Biden came to Ulster but did he conquer?

His interest has always appeared to me to be strictly political, of the united Ireland variety. Yet this visit has been somewhat different. It has had a caring element to it.

Of course it has been far too short and I found myself wondering why we were getting so little of his time compared to those in the south. But that was before I heard his speech at Ulster University, with not the sign of a prompter in sight.

The Bidens, as we all know, left an impoverished Ireland, three centuries ago for a better life and by all accounts his family did well. In the 1800’s that would have been tough going in America but they stayed and prospered. The Biden family eventually produced a future American President and that’s a lot to be proud of.

This week the President proudly mentioned the 230 American companies operating here in Northern Ireland. Our future, he said, is America’s future “our theme must be repair and renew” and “democracy needs champion”. No mention of a united Ireland.”

I was much relieved. In fact I was impressed by this 80-year- old who appeared to make an interesting speech off the top of his head with only the occasional look at a prompter. That’s not how I remembered John F Kennedy’s speech in Ireland back in 1963.

The Kennedys too came from a long list of families who deserted impoverished Ireland centuries ago.

My own family on my father’s side came from what we now know as Co Derry. Three of my father’s sisters took off for America in the 1920’s. They prospered and our childhood was enhanced by the many parcels they sent home to us. Christmas time was particularly special and to this day when we siblings are together the chat often turns to those happy events. They returned once only to visit the homestead.

Many families from my generation here will have had similar experiences. So when an American President says he’s coming to Ireland – for the second time in my lifetime – I’m pitched back to those happy childhood events.

Joe Biden hasn’t brought gifts in the sense that I remember. But our province’s future prosperity could well depend on the impression he takes back with him this time. He has seen us not quite at our best but we are working on it. Belfast today is not the city it was when I was working in it when the Troubles broke out. In fact I hardly recognised it lately during a visit but the signs of future prosperity are there.

Emigration of a kind is very much an Irish activity still though it’s not exactly America Irish people aim for now. Their hunting ground is Europe. Indeed I have `lost’ my two children to what we knew as children as `the continent’ and which wasn’t exactly popular due to the different languages spoken. In losing them I’ve also ‘lost’ the grandchildren though mobile phones are the saviour.

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