US President Biden given invitation to Downpatrick

US President Biden given invitation to Downpatrick

5 April 2023

US President Joe Biden has been urged to stop off in Downpatrick during his visit to Northern Ireland next week.

While he is highly unlikely to by during his whistle-stop 24-hour visit, that hasn’t stopped officials at the St Patrick Centre, Down Cathedral and the Downpatrick and Co Down Railway from teaming up to ask the leader of the free world to stop off for what they say would be a “memorable experience” for him.

A formal invitation to visit the town and the burial site of Ireland’s patron saint was issued to Mr Biden via the province’s US Counsel General and the Northern Ireland Office.

President Biden has a passion for rail and if he derailed his already agreed itinerary and came to Downpatrick, he would be the first White House supremo to do so.

Heritage railway chairman Robert Gardiner issued the invitation to the President on behalf of the all three organisations and said it has been well received by local political parties and described it as a “fantastic opportunity” to attract such a high profile visit to the district.

The railway chairman said both Dr Tim Campbell of the St Patrick Centre and Dean Henry Hull of Down Cathedral support the joint invitation.

Mr Biden is visiting Northern Ireland as part of the 25th anniversary celebrations marking the historic signing of the Good Friday Agreement.

In his letter to the US Consul General, Mr Gardiner said the heritage railway was a “perfect example” of cross-community co-operation in action in Northern Ireland and epitomises the spirit of the Good Friday Agreement.

“Our volunteers come from a wide range of backgrounds from across Ireland, north and south, and are committed to working together to preserve our shared heritage,” his letter continues.

“Additionally, the railway receives a significant number of US visitors each year and we believe that we can use President Biden’s visit as an opportunity to celebrate the deep connections between Northern Ireland and the United States.”

Mr Gardiner said a visit to Downpatrick would not only allow the President to indulge in his well-known passion for rail travel, but also present some “wonderful photo opportunities” of him onboard an historic Irish steam train that would play very well to both US domestic and international audiences. 

“Coupled with this, a visit to Downpatrick would allow the President to visit the St Patrick Centre, which has recently relaunched its main exhibition and has deep relations with the USA and to visit the grave of St Patrick at Down Cathedral,” his letter continues.

“This act would be a historic first for a US President, a fitting moment for President Biden who cherishes his Irish ancestry, and highly symbolic for all Irish Americans. The train we would propose to use would comprise vintage vehicles that have a particular resonance with the United States.”

Mr Gardiner’s letter reveals that two of the railway’s restored carriages transported workers who built the Titanic at the Harland & Wolff shipyard and were also used by many of the thousands of US troops who were stationed in Co Down during the Second World War. 

He adds: “Another carriage operated between Dublin and Cobh, carrying emigrants who wanted to make a new life for themselves in the New World.”