Joe Biden's inauguration ceremony on January 20, 2021 will have Irish accents.
Originally from the island through his great-grandfather, the president-elect invited the local traditional music group, The Chieftains.
Joe Biden cherishes his Irish roots.
Scranton, his hometown, is also twinned with Ballina, the port city on the Irish west coast left by Edward Blewitt, his great-grandfather, in 1851.
Fan of The Chieftains, Joe Biden had taken advantage of an official trip to the Emerald Isle in 2016 to visit the pub of Matt Molloy, the group's flautist, in Westport, near Ballina.
Paddy Moloney, the band's frontman told the
Iris Post,
“
sent a message [to Joe Biden] after the election.
"
He's a great man, and he's as fit as an old violin."
I couldn't believe it when I saw him running all over the place, "
he told the local daily, adding,"
We all support him here, and if we can go to Washington to play, despite everything that is going on. , it will be our greatest honor ”
.
Sanitary conditions may force The Chieftains and classical violinist Patricia Tracy, also Irish, to perform remotely, through a live broadcast, on the Internet, at the ceremony.
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The Chieftains, used to the greats
Historical group of traditional Irish music, The Chieftains has been awarded 6 Grammy Awards (for 18 nominations) since its creation in 1962. In France, they have been seen among other places at the great traditional music event that is the festival Interceltic of Lorient.
The inauguration of the new American president will not be the group's first historic event.
In 1979, The Chieftains had performed before John Paul II and 1.35 million people in Dublin;
before being the first group to perform in concert in the Capitol, Washington, in 1983, or being the first Western group to perform on the Great Wall of China that same year.
Another notorious feat of arms, the Irishmen of The Chieftains played
Women of Ireland
for
Barry Lyndon's
soundtrack
,
by Stanley Kubrick, in 1975. After this springboard to fame, the group played with Van Morrison, Sting, Elvis Costello, the Rolling Stones or Bon Iver.