US President Joe Biden has postponed an event commemorating 100 years of diplomatic relations between Ireland and the United States. However, a scheduled meeting with Taoiseach Simon Harris will still take place.
The president was initially set to meet the Taoiseach in the Oval Office tomorrow, followed by a modest reception in the Rose Garden at the White House.
However, the reception has been postponed due to the approaching Hurricane Milton, a Category 5 storm expected to land in Florida around the same time the event was to be held.
Despite the weather-related delay, Biden and Harris will meet in Washington.
President Biden formally invited the Taoiseach during the recent UN General Assembly in New York.
The two leaders were set to deliver remarks at the centenary event to highlight a century of bilateral relations between the US and Ireland.
The United States was the first to recognise the Irish Free State in 1924.
A government spokesperson emphasised that the event would have reflected Biden’s long-standing friendship with Ireland. Despite the postponement, Harris is expected to conduct several other engagements in Washington, D.C.
Minister for Children Roderic O’Gorman, speaking ahead of a Cabinet meeting, said he was confident the Taoiseach would use the meeting to reiterate Ireland’s calls for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and southern Lebanon. O’Gorman stressed the importance of the return of hostages and the delivery of humanitarian aid to those in need.
The Green Party leader also mentioned that Harris would raise concerns about the safety of Irish soldiers serving with the United Nations on the Blue Line in South Lebanon, emphasising the need to address these issues in the discussions with President Biden.
