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Joe Biden said he was at home when he delivered a historic address to a packed Irish Parliament, speaking of the strength of the Irish-American relationship and promising a future of limitless shared possibilities. The US president was greeted with sustained and enthusiastic applause as he entered the drawing room of Dublin's Leinster House to deliver a speech on Thursday. Apologizing for his attempt to speak the Irish language, he said "Ta me sa bhaile" (I'm home).
Biden is the fourth US president to address the Irish Parliament after John F. Kennedy in 1963, Ronald Reagan in 1984 and Bill Clinton in 1995.
In his speech, Biden hailed the "enduring" strength of the Irish-American relationship, promising "a future ripe for unlimited shared opportunity."
Big names from Irish politics and society gathered for the speech, along with some members of the US Congress, a senator and Biden's sister Valerie and their son Hunter.
Former Irish President Mary McAleese and former Irish singer Bertie Ahern and Enda Kenny were among those present, as was former Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams.
PA wire
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