Joe Biden and family bid farewell after friendly Irish visit
Joe Biden was guest of honour at a lunch held by Taoiseach Enda Kenny and his wife Fionnuala at the plush surroundings of Farmleigh in the Phoenix Park.
It has been noteworthy to see the genuine warmth between Biden and Kenny during the visit and the vice president made reference to their friendship yesterday, ahead of his journey home.
Mr Biden and his family have enjoyed a broad sense of Ireland with visits to counties Louth and Mayo during their stay on top of their demanding schedule in Dublin.
At the lunch, the vice president said that friend was a word used cheaply in international diplomacy but he really considered Mr Kenny to be his friend.
He paid tribute to the shared values of the two countries, which he said included a belief there was no challenge that could not be overcome by human ingenuity.
He said he had heard so much about Ireland when growing up in America that he had wondered how much was fact and how much was fiction — but at times during this visit it felt like he was at home.
For his part, Mr Kenny said it had been a privilege to welcome his close friend Mr Biden to Ireland.
The Taoiseach described the vice president as a man of conscience, a man of courage, a man of conviction.
Throughout the visit, Mr Biden and his family traced their family roots while also enjoying the formal hospitality of the Government, which culminated in bilateral meetings with Mr Kenny and President Michael D Higgins.
Following the lunch, Mr Biden travelled the short distance to Dublin Airport before boarding Air Force 2 to return home to Washington.
The entire visit, its timing and its length, was a timely reminder of the strength of the Irish-American relationship, during the Obama administration, said Mr Kenny.
