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Joe Biden is somewhat removed from the Irish town his great-great-grandfather left almost 200 years ago, but that doesn’t stop Ballina from celebrating his US presidential victory. The city in County Mayo, about 145 miles (235 kilometers) northwest of Dublin, has been draped in the Stars and Stripes and Biden / Harris flags with anticipation for days, despite many businesses having to close due to closing restrictions.
Joe Blewitt, a heating and plumbing engineer and a cousin of Biden, said the city of about 10,000 people is ecstatic at the prospect of a President Joe Biden. “Now he will be the president of the United States, they are delighted, they are absolutely delighted,” Blewitt said. “To think that one of their own is one of the most powerful men in the world.” Blewitt, who was invited to the White House in 2017 when Biden received the Congressional Medal of Honor from President Barack Obama, said he hopes to do it again for the inauguration in January.
Blewitt says the couple are in regular contact as well: “He’s a really nice guy. It’s good to talk to him. “Biden, who visited Ballina in June 2016 when he was in his final months as vice president, has vowed to visit him again to prevail over Trump. Biden’s great-great-grandfather, Edward Blewitt, immigrated from the city, having worked as a brick maker and civil engineer helping map Ireland, ten of Biden’s 16 great-great-grandparents were also born in Ireland.
Biden’s victory was especially sweet for Beryl McCrainey Slevin, a California native who has lived in Ballina for more than 15 years. His hope is that Biden can reunite his homeland after four years of division under Trump.
“I hope that after these elections we can really work on building alliances with everyone in the country,” he said. “We are all Americans and America’s ideals are so important globally that I think it’s really important that we come together once again as a nation and continue the work of building the American dream for all. He also expressed his hope that Biden would “restore dignity” to the White House and help heal the racial problems afflicting America. “I also firmly believe that Joe Biden is in a place now that he is ready to do some serious judicial reform, a nationwide police reform,” he said.
Cousin Blewitt does not rule out the possibility of a Joe Biden plaza in Ballina, similar to the one built in Moneygall to honor Barack Obama when he visited his own ancestral home in southeastern Ireland. Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin was one of the first leaders to congratulate Biden on his victory, a clear sign of how much Biden’s victory means to the country.
“Joe Biden has been a true friend of this nation his entire life and I look forward to working with him for years to come,” he tweeted. “I also look forward to welcoming him back home when circumstances allow.”
