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Irish Mirror
Irish Mirror
National
Donal MacNamee

Locals point out problem with US coverage of Joe Biden's ancestral Irish home

Irish people are basking in the glory of Joe Biden's recent election to the highest office in the US.

The President-elect of America saw off Donald Trump in a bitterly fought election campaign earlier this month – and he's been talking up his Irish roots ever since.

US media have focused a lot on the 77-year-old's connection to Ballina, a town in Co Mayo where cousins of the veteran Democrat reside.

But some outlets have struggled slightly with the geographical specifics of Mr Biden's native land – leading to much hilarity on social media.

The documentary about Joe Biden was marred by technical difficulties (REUTERS)

NBC News – a leading American media outlet – incorrectly referred to Co Mayo as the "ancestral hometown" of the former vice-president.

A tweet from NBC read: "The Irish town of County Mayo, President-elect Biden's ancestral home, is still erupting with joy over the success of the man they claim as their own."

Onlookers were less than impressed with the inaccuracy, with many calling on NBC's fact-checkers to make themselves aware of the difference between a county and a town.

One tweeted: "County Mayo is, er, a county, not a town. Ballina is a town in County Mayo."

Another informed the network that "Mayo is a county", adding: "Castlebar is a town."

Some saw the funny side of the error, with one hilarious tweet reading: "Mayo's not a town, it's a condiment."

You'd hope Mr Biden has a better knowledge of the complexities of Irish placenames, given his links to the country.

His affection for Ireland is obvious, to the extent that the President-elect has already invited two Irish acts to play at his inauguration in January 2021.

Irish violinist Patricia Treacy has already received her invite to the inauguration – after playing for the politician several times in the past.

And The Chieftains – of whom Mr Biden is a huge fan – have also been asked to play at the inauguration, which will take place in Washington DC early next year.

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