Anna-Marie Flynn
MAYO could be represented in the White House if Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama is successful in his election campaign.
After announcing his running-mate as Senator Joseph Biden Jnr last Saturday, celebrations commenced in north Mayo where Obama’s right-hand man has strong family ties.
The Mayo townlands of Rappa and Cooneal, outside Ballina, were home to the Senator’s ancestors.
Third-cousin of Senator Biden, Brendan Blewitt, from Runagry in Knockmore, explained the family connection to The Mayo News following the announcement on Saturday evening.
“Patrick Blewitt emigrated from Mayo in 1835. He had a son called Edward who in turn had a daughter called Geraldine Blewitt. Geraldine would have been Joseph Biden’s grandmother. Geraldine settled in Pennsylvania. Looking into the family ties, that would make myself and Joe Biden third cousins,” said Mr Blewitt.
The 65-year-old senator was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania to a Roman Catholic Irish-American family and also has family ties in Derry, from where his grandfather came. Scranton has strong associations with Mayo, as huge numbers of Mayo emigrants settled there during the Famine. Marking the connections, Ballina and Scranton are twinned in a ‘sister city’ programme.
The Blewitts are now following up the family connections in more detail in a bid to get a clearer picture of the overall family tree. “We are thrilled he was chosen and we’ll certainly be watching his progress very closely!” added Mr Blewitt.
By choosing the veteran Senator, Barack Obama will add an expert in international relations to the Democratic ticket. As the current chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, he is familiar with foreign leaders and diplomats around the world. As a Roman Catholic, he will appeal to an important, and largely Irish-American, voting bloc.
The politician has run twice for the presidency himself.
Announcing Senator Biden as his campaign-mate, Senator Obama said: “Senator Biden is a statesman with sound judgment who doesn’t have to hide behind bluster to keep America strong. He is what many others pretend to be.”
