US Politics

Marion McKeone: This year’s St Patrick’s US visit was all about the North

The 2023 St Patrick’s visit to the White House and Capitol Hill centred on the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement – and the barriers to forward movement on the Windsor framework

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar gifts a bowl of shamrock to US president Joe Biden during a St Patrick’s Day reception in the East Room of the White House. Biden is due to visit Ireland later this year to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement. Picture: Getty

Over the years, St Patrick’s festivities in Washington, DC have morphed into an access-all-areas pass to the White House and Capitol Hill for Irish political leaders, which is the envy of many US allies.

Like a good wine, the Irish relationship with the US has matured into a more complex and better-balanced affair over the past several decades. It has evolved from one of patron and supplicant to one of mutual benefit across multiple spheres ...