Biden hosts Irish prime minister on St. Patrick’s Day

By COLLEEN LONG and CHRIS MEGERIAN
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is hosting Ireland’s prime minister on Friday, after the COVID-19 pandemic scuttled the longstanding St. Patrick’s Day meetup two years in a row. The meeting with one of the top U.S. allies comes after Biden said he plans to visit both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland this year. First Prime Minister Leo Varadker and his partner had breakfast with Vice President Kamala Harris and her husband. This is the 25th anniversary of the U.S.-brokered Good Friday accord, which helped end sectarian violence that had raged for three decades over the issue of Northern Ireland unifying with Ireland or remaining part of the United Kingdom.