大象传媒

Joe Biden has started a three-day personal and political trip to the Republic of Ireland, receiving a warm welcome despite the bad weather.

Back in 2016, the White House called the Irish Family History Centre, asking it to trace Mr Biden's ancestry ahead of an upcoming visit.

After weeks of searching parish records and land registers it compiled a list of his closest living relatives - many of who knew nothing of the connection.

Enter the Blewitts of Ballina, County Mayo. Newsday spoke to Joe Blewitt, one of the president's distant cousins there, as he was getting ready to greet him.

(Photo: President Joe Biden delivers remarks during the annual Friends of Ireland Caucus St. Patricks Day Luncheon. Credit: Getty Images)