The Biden bounce

HE BROUGHT much of the county to a standstill back in 2016 when he visited as US Vice President, but Joe Biden took it to another level on Friday last with his sensational presidential visit to Mayo, and in particular, Ballina.
The trip had been widely anticipated since his inauguration as President in 2021 that Biden would return to Mayo at some stage. Once he announced his visit to Ireland to coincide with the 25th anniversary of Good Friday Agreement, a trip to his ancestral home in north Mayo was always on the cards.

Given the short turnaround in preparation for the event, it was hard to see how his visit to Mayo could not have gone any better. The 80-year-old president’s schedule during the four-day visit was packed, and his last day here in Mayo had a very busy agenda from the get go.
Ireland West Airport Knock has enjoyed a return to normality since Covid ground things to a halt for all at the airport, and all who work there definitely enjoyed seeing it in the spotlight of the world when Air Force One landed there on Friday afternoon.

Although President Biden’s visit to Knock Shrine was private, it was a huge honour for Fr Richard Gibbons to give a guided tour of the shrine to Biden, and the visit will also have heightened the profile of the shrine for Americans and Catholics everywhere.
The president has a very special affinity with the Mayo Hospice, having turned the sod for the development in Castlebar. He of course lost his son Beau to cancer, and his close relationship with his cousin Laurita Blewitt, who works at the hospice, means the bond between him and the facility’s mission is strong.

Biden’s visit to the North Mayo Heritage Centre at Enniscoe House in Crossmolina was unexpected but will most certainly act as a real boost for all at the centre. Many who were unaware of the fantastic genealogy work that goes on there are now sure to visit over the summer months.

Pride of place
But pride of place for the visit was most certainly Ballina. Although the thousands who attended had to be patient – and deal with some showery conditions – they were treated to a spectacular evening.
All those involved in the hectic organising of the event deserve huge plaudits. To turnaround something of this stature in such a short space of time is some feat, and there is no doubt that all 27,000 who were there will remember it for a very long time.
The carnival atmosphere along the banks of the Moy was evident from early afternoon, and the music of The Academic, The Coronas and The Chieftains really set the scene for the main event.
Taking to the stage to the sound of the Dropkick Murphys, President Biden address was not overly long but was on point and very well received.
The president told us that this was his third time to visit Ballina, and that he really felt like he was coming home.
Americans have been slow to begin travelling again after the Covid pandemic, but already in 2023, the numbers have risen significantly. This visit will surely lead to thousands more travelling to the west coast over the next number of years.
Before this historic trip, many of those US visitors may not have travelled north to Ballina, but now they will no doubt be keen to see St Muredach’s Cathedral and all the town itself has to offer.
Our elected representatives and those in the tourism industry have been afforded a huge opportunity thanks to the publicity around the Biden visit, and now they must capitalise on that by continuing the great work that made the visit such a wonderful success.