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BALLINA, Ireland — President Biden concluded a three-day journey through his ancestral homeland with an impassioned speech here that sought to channel the story of his family — who left Ireland for the United States nearly two centuries ago — into a call for shared values, from fighting hunger to combating climate change to defending democracy.
“We must renew our commitment to our values our ancestor fought for,” Biden told the raucous, flag-waving crowd. “What did we Irish fight for? Freedom. Democracy. It always must be defended.”
Addressing what was perhaps the largest and most jubilant crowd he has spoken before as president, Biden emerged onto stage to the flashing of bright strobe lights and the strains of Dropkick Murphy’s “Shipping up to Boston.”
Thousands of people packed the area, lining both sides of River Moy and braving intermittent rain, waving American and Irish flags as musicians played and danced for hours leading up to…
This article was written by Matt Viser and originally published on www.washingtonpost.com