JOE BIDEN has paid tribute to is Irish ancestors in a new video focusing on immigration into the US.
President Biden is a proud Irish-American, and often speaks about his roots in Counties Louth and Mayo, as well as sharing his love of Irish poets and writers.
Last week, Mr Biden made headlines in Ireland when he spoke about his ancestors' passage to the United States "on coffin ships", forced to leave Ireland because of the Great Hunger, which Mr Biden described as "what the Brits were doing" in Ireland.
Now Mr Biden has reflected on his ancestors' stories once more, in a newly-released video to be shown to new citizens of the United States after they are sworn in.
Joe Biden in March 2021 (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)In the video, in which Mr Biden thanks the new citizens for choosing the United States as their adopted home, he greets those watching for the first time as "my fellow Americans", and says the US can be defined as one word: "possibilities".
"That very idea has been nurtured, enriched and advanced by the contributions, sacrifices and dreams of immigrants like you, and immigrants like my own ancestors from Ireland," he tells the camera.
He praises their "courage" for leaving their homes, "your lives, your loved ones" and forge a new life in the US, adding "Today you've earned a new title equal to that of an American president, the title I'm most proud of - citizen."
The messages of welcome are usually aired to new citizens at the swearing-in ceremony, but this latest one has been released publicly so that the new US citizens can watch it at home with their friends and families, as in-person gatherings continue to be scaled back due to the pandemic.
You can watch the video below.
