Tánaiste says he hopes Joe Biden addresses Oireachtas during Irish visit

Tánaiste Micheál Martin has said he would “of course” like to see US president Joe Biden address the Houses of the Oireachtas but such an event has not been confirmed.

Previous US presidents John F Kennedy, Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton have delivered speeches to TDs and senators.

The Dáil and Seanad are currently in recess but politicians could be recalled if Mr Biden does wish to address the Oireachtas during his visit to Ireland next week.

Mr Biden is to visit Belfast and Dublin, with stops also expected in Mayo and Louth, the home counties of some of his ancestors. The visit comes amid commemorations of the 25th anniversary of the Belfast Agreement.

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Mr Martin, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Defence, said an address to the Oireachtas is “a matter to be confirmed” while indicating that TDs and Senators could be recalled. “It’s always a good occasion. I don’t think they’d object.”

The Tánaiste described Mr Biden as “a great friend of Ireland”, particularly since his election as president.

“I think his firm diplomatic positioning in relation to the Good Friday agreement, in relation to Brexit and the protocol, has been effective and impactful and that’s something we appreciate,” he added.

The Fianna Fáil leader said Mr Biden has a long-standing interest in peace in Northern Ireland and his appointment of Joe Kennedy as an economic envoy is significant.

He said the Irish and British governments stand ready to work with a new Northern Ireland executive if it can be restored to develop an economic platform for the North. “I know president Biden is keenly interested in that.”

Mr Martin was speaking in advance of a Fianna Fáil event in Dublin to mark the Belfast Agreement’s anniversary. It was attended by former taoiseach Bertie Ahern, one of the key architects of the peace deal struck on Good Friday 1998.

The event featured video messages from Mr Clinton and former British prime ministers Tony Blair and John Major.

Mr Ahern told those gathered that Mr Major and former taoiseach Albert Reynolds deserve “great credit” for the 1992 Downing Street Declaration, which paved the way for later developments in the peace process. He also praised the role of the late Ulster Unionist Party leader David Trimble in the talks that led to the agreement.

Mr Ahern said Mr Trimble was “impossible” when they first met, describing him as a “good guy” but “volatile”. He said he later ended up as a “great friend”. He said Mr Trimble stayed in the process when the DUP walked out and without him “there would have been no 1998”.