Explained: The full itinerary for Joe Biden's visit to Ireland

James Cox

President Joe Biden's visit to the island of Ireland starts on Tuesday, making him the eighth US president to visit Ireland.

Mr Biden is visiting to mark the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, with the trip set to take in Belfast, Dublin, Mayo and Louth.

The 45th US president's family ancestry can be traced back to Ballina, Co Mayo, and the Cooley Peninsula, Co Louth.

Here, we take a look at the itinerary for his visit.

Tuesday, April 11th

Mr Biden is expected to arrive in Belfast late in the evening. He will be greeted by UK prime minister Rishi Sunak. He will stay the night at an undisclosed location in the North, reportedly a Belfast city centre hotel, with some suggesting the Grand Central Hotel on Bedford Street.

Wednesday, April 12th

Mr Biden will hold a bilateral meeting with Mr Sunak on Wednesday morning.

The meeting is expected to take place at the Belfast city centre hotel hosting the US president.

He will then travel to Ulster University, where he will deliver a speech at the university's newly opened campus.

Vice-chancellor and president of Ulster University Professor Paul Bartholomew said it would be a significant day for the institution.

“We are looking forward to what will be a very special day in the University’s history, and to hosting President Biden on his first visit to Northern Ireland since becoming president,” he said.

“As we mark the 25th anniversary of the Belfast Good Friday Agreement, Ulster University, across all three of our campuses, is looking forward to preparing the next generation of civic, business and societal leaders.”

After his speech at Ulster University, Mr Biden will travel to Co Louth, where his great-grandfather James Finnegan was born.

In Louth, Mr Biden will first head to the Cooley Peninsula to visit Carlingford. He has a number of distant relatives here, and he visited Lily Finnegans pub when in Ireland as vice president in 2016.

Mr Biden spoke fondly of the pub afterwards, but it is unclear whether another stop here will be included.

He is expected to visit Carlingford Castle, a Norman castle that was built circa 1190.

Mr Biden will then visit Dundalk for a walkabout of the town centre.

In a statement, Louth County Council said: "There is expected to be high security in operation and people are being advised not to carry bags of any sort, as is normal in such circumstances. Residents and visitors are very welcome to attend and celebrate the historic occasion of a US President coming back to visit his ancestral county."

Councillor Conor Keelan, Cathaoirleach, Louth County Council said: “We are delighted that Joe Biden is visiting Louth, this time as President of the United States. I expect that he will receive a very warm welcome once more in Carlingford and then in Dundalk, where I have no doubt that we will see a great crowd in the town centre tomorrow afternoon to mark the historic visit.”

After his visit in 2016, Mr Biden was awarded the Freedom of Co Louth. He remains the only individual to hold this honour.

Mr Biden will then return to Dublin, where he will stay overnight.

Thursday, April 13th

At a White House press briefing, national security council co-ordinator for strategic communications John Kirby said Mr Biden will meet President Michael D Higgins on Thursday.

“Following that ceremony, he will meet again with the Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, whom the president just hosted here for St Patrick’s Day.

“In both meetings, the president will discuss our close cooperation on the full range of shared global challenges."

After his meeting with President Higgins, Mr Biden will become the fourth US president to address the Oireachtas.

He follows John F Kennedy in 1963, Ronald Reagan in 1984 and Bill Clinton in 1995.

On Thursday evening, Mr Biden will attend a banquet dinner in Dublin Castle.

Friday, April 14th

Mr Biden will fly into Ireland West Airport to spend the final day of his visit in Co Mayo.

He will visit the Knock Shrine and the North Mayo Heritage and Genealogical Centre’s family history research unit before going on to Ballina.

He will finish his visit with a speech at St Muredach’s Cathedral in Ballina.

Mr Kirby said the president’s great-great-great grandfather Edward Blewitt sold 27,000 bricks to the cathedral in 1827.

“Those bricks were used to construct and support the great cathedral and help Edward afford to buy tickets for himself and for his family to sail to America decades later in 1851.

“The president is very much looking forward to that trip and to celebrating the deep historic ties that our two countries and our two people continue to share.”

Gates will open at 5.30pm and the programme begins at 7pm. This is a free public event and entrance will be on a first come, first served basis.

The time for Mr Biden's speech is not confirmed, but it could be as late as 9pm.

You can register to attend here Tinyurl.com/biden-ballina.

After the speech, Mr Biden will travel to Dublin Airport to fly back to the United States.