LAST UPDATE | 11 Apr 2023
US PRESIDENT JOE Biden is arriving in Ireland today to start his four-day trip around the island, which will include stops in Belfast, Louth, Dublin and Mayo.
Air Force One is due to land this evening to deliver the American president to the first leg of his visit in Belfast around 9pm, where he will commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement.
His brief visit to Northern Ireland will include meetings with politicians and an address at the official opening of Ulster University’s new Belfast campus.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is expected to greet Biden’s plane when he lands and the pair will hold a bilateral meeting.
Downing Street this afternoon said it would not characterise Sunak’s engagements with Biden in the North as low-key.
Asked about the White House reportedly scaling back their interaction from a bilateral event to a less formal coffee meeting, a No 10 spokesman told reporters: “The Prime Minister will meet with President Biden to discuss areas of mutual interest.”
Asked why the plans appeared low-key, he replied: “I wouldn’t characterise it as that. As I’ve said the Prime Minister will see him tonight, he will see him again tomorrow.
“You’ve seen the president’s actions during his time demonstrate that we have a close relationship. His first visit outside of North America was to the UK, where he met both the Queen and the Prince of Wales.”
“We continue to have an incredibly positive working relationships with the president and the US government.”
In a tweet, Biden said that he was looking forward to marking the anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, which was signed in 1998 on 1o April after decades of conflict.
“25 years ago, Northern Ireland’s leaders chose peace. The Belfast/Good Friday Agreement ended decades of violence and brought stability,” he said.
“I look forward to marking the anniversary in Belfast, underscoring the U.S. commitment to preserving peace and encouraging prosperity.”
25 years ago, Northern Ireland’s leaders chose peace.
— President Biden (@POTUS) April 10, 2023
The Belfast/Good Friday Agreement ended decades of violence and brought stability.
I look forward to marking the anniversary in Belfast, underscoring the U.S. commitment to preserving peace and encouraging prosperity.
In the months leading up to the important anniversary, hopes were high that Stormont politicians would form a functioning assembly.
However, that effort has continued to be blocked by the DUP, which has refused to allow a government to be formed over post-Brexit trading agreements, even as a deal was reached between the EU and UK on the Northern Ireland Protocol.
At a White House press briefing, national security council coordinator for strategic communications John Kirby has been “very excited” about visiting the island of Ireland for “quite some time”.
“President Biden cares deeply about Northern Ireland and has a long history of support peace and prosperity there,” Kirby said.
“As a US senator, Joe Biden was an advocate for how the United States could play a constructive role supporting peace.”
On Wednesday, after he leaves Belfast, Biden will visit Co Louth, where some of his Irish ancestors were from.
He is expected to visit Dundalk and Carlingford, including a tour of Carlingford Castle, before spending the night in Dublin.
On Thursday, Biden’s day will start with a visit to Áras an Uachtaráin to meet President Michael D. Higgins and to participate in a tree-planting ceremony and ringing of the peace bell.
He will also visit Farmleigh House and meet with Taoiseach Leo Varadkar to discuss “close cooperation on a full range of shared global challenges”.
The US President will then be escorted across the city centre to Leinster House, where he will make a speech to a joint sitting of the Dáil and Seanad in the afternoon, becoming the fourth US President to do so after John F Kennedy, Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton.
A dinner will be hosted in Dublin Castle on Thursday evening.
Finally, on Friday, Biden will head west to Mayo, another county where he has family roots.
He will tour the Knock shrine and the north Mayo Heritage and Genealogical Centre’s family history research unit.
In Ballina, he will deliver a speech outside St Muredach’s Cathedral on Friday evening. The event is open to the public and anyone who wishes to attend can register here.
“Ireland is a key economic partner of the United States and the United States and Ireland are working closely together to make the global economy more fair,” Kirby told reporters at the White House press briefing.
“Ireland has been a key partner for 21st century challenges as well and the Irish government has been a strong supporter of Ukraine, providing vital non-lethal assistance including medical supplies, body armour, and support for Ukraine’s electric grid, as well as their agriculture,” he said.
“They have supported EU sanctions on Russia and the people of Ireland have generously welcomed nearly 80,000 Ukrainians, offering refuge to those who were forced to flee their homes in search of safety.”
Asked about violence in Northern Ireland, Kirby said Biden is “very much looking forward to going to Belfast” and that he is “more than comfortable making this trip and he’s very excited to do it”.
The security operation to protect Biden and his entourage during their visit will cost millions and be one of the biggest in recent years.
The costs can be extraordinary – the combined visits of President Barack Obama and Queen Elizabeth in 2011 cost €36 million.
This was double what was originally projected – it involved massive amounts of garda overtime payments and subsistence. It also cost vast amounts to house thousands of gardaí.
While it is anticipated that this visit will cost less than that price the fact that it is spread out over the week and is located in three distinct areas in the country means it will require a large amount of gardaí and military personnel to manage.
The Garda organisation has decided on a similar strategy to the Obama and Queen Elizabeth visit in which they have divided the force in two. One half will stay in their stations carrying out normal policing activities while the other will be on point duty.
Gardaí will be needed to police locations at Ballina and Knock in Co Mayo, across Dundalk and Co Louth and of course in Dublin.
There will be gardaí on posts at the various airports such as Knock and Dublin.
One key consideration is that when the President moves there is always a hospital put on standby should an incident happen – this will require police protection too.
A massive search operation will be carried out by trained teams of gardaí – these gardaí will be taken off their regular duties and they act as the search team.
Every manhole cover along a cavalcade route will be searched, the roofs of buildings will be searched, the occupants of each building identified.
Along motorways, gardaí will be posted at culverts and manholes to ensure they are not interfered with.
Then at locations plain clothes garda detectives will be embedded in groups of dignitaries and crowds. There will be sniper teams from the garda Emergency Response Unit, augmented by their colleagues in the Irish army.
Gardaí will be deployed as part of a public order unit to deal with protests – the gardaí have even deployed a specialist team trained in the use of equipment to remove protestors who have chained themselves to locations.
There will be a major intelligence gathering exercise with Special Detective Unit gardaí monitoring potential attackers.
Much of the garda presence though will be focused on mere presence lining the routes and at the venues – gardaí from across the country will be drafted in.
The military will also be involved – the Army Ranger Wing are understood to have deployed in recent weeks. They are dug-in at locations.
They are also likely to provide close protection for various dignitaries and counter-sniper teams.
Conventional troops from the 7th Battalion are providing security at large sites. The Air Corps is providing helicopter cover and aircraft to act as surveillance platforms.
The Explosive Ordnance Disposal teams across the country are also working and will respond to suspicious package calls.
Air Corps pilots also provide crews for the Garda Air Support unit.
The naval service are expected to provide ships to monitor coastal areas in Dublin Bay, Louth and off Co Mayo.
With reporting by Niall O’Connor and Press Association
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