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Irish Mirror
Irish Mirror
National
Ferghal Blaney

Joe Biden will follow in footsteps of greats in Dáil speech

Joe Biden’s joint address to the Dáil and Seanad would be only the 14th in the history of the Houses of the Oireachtas’ 101 years.

He will follow in the footsteps of other US Presidents - starting with JFK in 1963 - British Prime Ministers and other foreign Heads of State.

Last year was an unusual year in that there were two, one in December from EU Commission President, Ursula Von der Leyen, and in April from Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

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President Zelenskyy’s historic address was the first ever to be done via videolink, but this didn’t take away from the importance of the day.

Formal addresses to the joint Houses of the Oireachtas are special occasions in Leinster House, full of pomp and ceremony.

President Zelenskyy’s address saw 45 diplomats in Leinster House for the morning address, including the Papal Nuncio representing the Vatican and Pope Francis.

Invitations to make a joint address to both Houses come from the office of the Ceann Comhairle of the day.

The current sitting Ceann Comhairle is Seán Ó Fearghaíl.

The special invites are normally reserved for world leaders, with Nelson Mandela, Tony Blair and John F Kennedy among the famous names that have delivered these addresses in the past.

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