Christina Finn reports from Washington DC
NIALL HORAN IS to perform at the White House for St Patrick’s Day tomorrow.
Confirming the performance, the Mullingar native who rose to fame as part of the band One Direction, tweeted:
“It’s an honour to be invited and represent my country. Looking forward to performing and celebrating St. Patrick’s Day at the White House tomorrow.”
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre also said on Twitter that the Biden-Harris administration cannot wait to welcome Horan to the White House tomorrow for a special performance to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.
It’s an honour to be invited and represent my country. Looking forward to performing and celebrating St. Patrick’s Day at the White House tomorrow 🇮🇪☘️🇺🇸 https://t.co/iGODUCH4f2
— Niall Horan (@NiallOfficial) March 16, 2023
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar will meet with US President Joe Biden in the Oval Office in the White House tomorrow morning.
It is expected the two leaders will discusses issues relating to Northern Ireland, the Windsor Framework, the war in Ukraine and economic issues between Ireland and the US.
The Taoiseach said today that he will also be raising concerns about the president’s Inflation Act and its impacts.
When asked what he would discuss with the US president, Varadkar said he would thank the US for their interest in Ireland and the administration’s support during Brexit.
“People around the world listen to what the White House says and President Biden has said all the right things from our point of view in the past couple of years,” he said.
“I’m also keen to thank him for America’s support for Ukraine – American leadership at this time is crucial.
“America is not perfect. There are a lot of times when they make very big foreign policy errors, but largely speaking, it’s been a force for good in the last few centuries, stood against fascism, Nazism, stood against communism, and now standing against what Russia is doing in Ukraine. So I really want to thank him for that and ask American stay the course in that regard.”
He said he would also raise concerns about America and Europe working together and avoiding a “subsidies race”.
He added: “If we both end up subsidising our companies, we just cancel each other out, and we cancel each other at the expense of each other’s taxpayers.”
Earlier in the day tomorrow, Varadkar and his partner Dr Matthew Barrett will have breakfast with Vice President Kamala Harris and her husband Douglas Emhoff at her residence in the US Naval Observatory.
After speaking with the US president in the White House, the Taoiseach will travel to Capitol Hill for the Speakers’ lunch, which is hosted by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
The event will be attended by US and Irish politicians, such as Special Envoy to Northern Ireland for Economic Affairs Joe Kenney and Sinn Féin’s Mary Lou McDonald.
Following the lunch, Varadkar will meet with the Friends of Ireland caucus, before the St Patrick’s Day celebrations and Shamrock Ceremony takes place in the East Room of the White House.
It is understood that Horan will perform at the ceremony, which is attended by a couple of hundred attendees.
A Good Friday Agreement cultural showcase will take place in the evening at the Kennedy Centre, which is understood to include other well known Irish musical acts.
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