Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle) | Oireachtas source

President Biden, Taoiseach, Tánaiste, Minister Ryan, Opposition party and group leaders, Secretaries of State Blinken and Vilsack, Members of Congress, ambassadors, Members of both Houses, MEPs, MLAs, MPs, members of the Biden family and distinguished guests. I must mention somebody else because it has just come to my attention that a very young observer is in attendance here today, namely, Margot, the infant daughter of Senator Rebecca Moynihan. I suspect that Margot's attendance here will go down in family folklore for many years to come.

A Uachtarán Biden, tá fáilte mhór romhat go Teach Laighean, ionad ár bParlaimint náisiúnta. Is lá stairiúil agus lá mór bróid dúinn go léir an lá seo. President Biden, you are most welcome to Leinster House, the home of our national Parliament. This is a very proud and historic day for us all. It is a day we have looked forward to since your election as the 46th President of the United States just over two years ago. Today, you do us the honour of addressing our joint sitting; the fourth time the Houses have been addressed by a US President.

Almost 60 years ago, on 28 June 1963, in a very different world and a very different Ireland, the late President John F. Kennedy addressed the Houses and inspired our people. It is particularly fitting therefore that you should address us so close to that important anniversary. Today, we acknowledge the presence in Ireland of his grandnephew, Joseph Kennedy III, the new US economic envoy to Northern Ireland and we wish him every success in the important role of supporting peace and prosperity that you have assigned to him.

While all previous presidential addresses have been of major significance, today's is like no other because among an extensive list of distinguished guests, we are joined today by our former illustrious President Mary McAleese, former Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, a key architect of the Good Friday Agreement and former Taoiseach, Enda Kenny, a fellow Mayo man and a close personal friend of yours. Joining us also is the former president of Sinn Féin and a former Member of this House, Gerry Adams, who played such a key role in the Good Friday Agreement negotiations. From north of the Border we also welcome Alex Maskey, Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly, which I am sure you would have liked to have been able to address, Michelle O’Neill, the Northern leader of Sinn Féin; Colum Eastwood MP, leader of the SDLP and a successor to the great John Hume, Nobel Peace laureate and an initiator of the Good Friday Agreement; and Naomi Long, leader of the very progressive and growing Alliance Party.

I extend a special welcome to Ms Marie Heaney, whose late husband, Seamus Heaney, is a favourite poet of yours, Mr. President, and of ours also, who was a Nobel Prize winner and one of our great literary treasures. Seamus would have been 84 today and I am sure he is looking down on us with his glasses nestled between his fingers and a hint of a smile on his face.

From the diplomatic corps, I warmly welcome the US ambassador, H.E. Claire Cronin - thank you for sending her to us - and her Irish counterpart in Washington, H.E. Geraldine Byrne Nason, one of the best of our diplomats. These two outstanding women have done our two countries proud. We are joined too by the dean of the diplomatic corps, the Moroccan ambassador to Ireland; the representatives of the European Commission and European Parliament, Jonathan Claridge and Fionnuala Croker; as well as our dear friend and near neighbour, H.E. Paul Johnston, ambassador of the United Kingdom.May I extend a very special and warm welcome to the much admired Ukrainian ambassador to Ireland, someone who has become incredibly well known to all of us, H.E. Larysa Gerasko, who above all else represents the nearly 80,000 displaced Ukrainian citizens now resident in Ireland.

For you, Mr. President, this is quite a gathering and, with the greatest of respect, Mr. President, I must say you sure can draw a crowd. Perhaps afterwards you might give me some hints on how to ensure such a good attendance around here on Thursday afternoons.

President Biden, today you are among friends because you are one of us. You often speak of your Irish roots with great pride and affection, especially your ancestors from Louth and Mayo. The story of Ireland is inextricably linked to emigration and in many ways, you personify it. From the Famine times through to today, so many people left these shores in search of a better life in the United States and a remarkable 33 million - maybe 34 million - Americans now claim Irish ancestry. The signatories of the 1916 Proclamation said that this very Republic came into being with the support of its "exiled children in America”. And how true that was. Down through the years our exiles supported Ireland economically and politically, and never forgot the families they left behind. All through your political career, Sir, you too have been a faithful and supportive friend of Ireland. You have been there, to quote the well-known song, “in sunshine or in shadow”. So, on this historic occasion, your homecoming, we warmly welcome you back to your roots. From the bottom of our hearts we thank you for all you have done, and continue to do, for us here in Ireland.

The Ireland you are visiting this week is a multicultural progressive nation, benefiting enormously from an inflow of immigrants who have arrived on our shores from across the world. They enrich our society and help us grow our economy, just like the Irish and many other nations did in the United States in years gone by. They also challenge all of us to be better than we are and better than we think we can be.

Our two countries enjoy a warm, close and mutually beneficial relationship. It has been an enduring relationship built on shared values and shared economic interests, as well as a passion for politics and a love of culture, matters you, Mr. President, have highlighted frequently.

Economically, Ireland has benefited immensely from US investment, which supports more than 370,000 jobs in Ireland today. As a result, we now have thriving technology, healthcare and financial services sectors. Less spoken about, however, are the 650 Irish companies that operate across all 50 states of the union, employing 100,000 people and the fact that Ireland today is the ninth largest source of foreign direct investment in the United States. Long may this bilateral investment continue. Ar scáth a chéile a mhaireann na daoine.

Mr. President, two years ago on a cold January day in Washington DC, you spoke of the importance of unity and hope. As we gather in this Easter week, we recognise that the world is in need of hope, hope for those affected by war, hope for those suffering from hunger and hope in the face of the existential threat of climate change. On this island, your visit to Northern Ireland is an important statement of hope and support for building a better and continued peaceful and prosperous future for all. We thank you for your unstinting and constructive support for the Good Friday Agreement over the past 25 years and for your continued close engagement, which you demonstrated so powerfully this week.

Friends and colleagues, politics, despite what the cynics might say, is a noble profession and we are fortunate today to welcome not just a very fine politician but an outstanding international statesman. President Biden, in life you have demonstrated unshakeable faith, deep resilience and the ability to bring together people of diverse and often conflicting views. Above all, to quote the memorable words of the iconic Seamus Heaney, you challenge us to believe that the “farther shore is reachable”.

I invite you now to address these Houses.