‘Mary, I See The Light!’ Biden Basks In Applause and Stagecraft Of Amped-Up ‘Dropkick Murphys’-Fueled Ireland Speech Intro

President Joe Biden basked in a dramatic intro to delirious applause, rock-show stagecraft, and a raucous walk-on song by Dropkick Murphys to cap his four-day swing through Ireland.

On Friday night, President Biden took to the stage for a speech at St. Muredach’s Cathedral in Ballina, Republic of Ireland, the final event of his trip through the Emerald Isle that took him first to Belfast, and then all over the Republic of Ireland.

Crowds gathered early in what Irish BBC correspondent Emma Vardy called a “concert atmosphere,” an apt description given the stagecraft and energy level.

After introductory remarks from Ballina Mayor Mark Duffy and Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, Biden walked onstage amid smoke, flashing lights, a pounding soundtrack of Dropkick Murphy’s “I’m Shipping Up To Boston” and thunderous applause from the flag-waving throng, all caught from multiple dramatic angles by White Houe cameras:

Hello! (Applause.) Mary, I see the light! (Applause.) Hello, Mayo! (Applause.)

It’s great to be here with you all. And it’s great to be back in Ballina during your 300th anniversary. (Applause.)

This town is the home of Ireland’s first female president, one of your youngest mayors, and maybe to be Ireland’s first female astronaut — Norah Patten. (Applause.)

That intro went viral on social media, racking up millions of views from supporters and others who were stunned by the optics and the reaction from the crowd.

The speech was a characteristically Biden-esque love letter to his ancestral homeland, complete with poetry and wistful memories of his departed son Beau Biden and his father, Joe Biden Sr.:

Beau passed away in 2015 — a decorated war hero from — attorney general to Delaware — after a valiant fight with brain cancer. So I can tell you how special it is that a place — a piece of his legacy lives here among his ancestors. (Applause.)

And thinking about it, I can hear my dad’s voice again. He’d always say, “Joey, remember: Family is the beginning, the middle, and the end.” Beginning, middle, and end. That’s the Irish of it. The beginning, the middle, and end. (Applause.)

Everything between Ireland and America runs deep: our history, our heritage, our sorrows, our future, our friendship, our joys.

But more than anything, hope is what beats in the hearts of all of our people.

After the speech, Biden was once again asked about starting his 2024 campaign, but in Ballina Friday night, it sure looked like he already had.