WASHINGTON — When Irish Taoiseach Micheál Martin tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday, he was already celebrating St. Patrick's Day with President Joe Biden in Washington, D.C.
Martin, Ireland's leader, received his positive diagnosis at a gala for the Ireland Funds, an annual dinner that promotes stronger ties between the U.S. and Ireland.
Biden, who spoke at the event, was not in close contact with Martin, White House spokesman Chris Meagher said. It remains unclear how the positive diagnosis will affect the White House's plans for St. Patrick's Day.
The two leaders were set to discuss deepening ties between the U.S. and Ireland as well as presenting a united response to Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine, according to the White House.
"They will also talk about a range of global issues and shared priorities, including combatting the COVID-19 pandemic worldwide, strengthening global health security, tackling the climate crisis, and working together on the United Nations Security Council," a White House statement reads.
Last year, the two leaders held a virtual meeting on St. Patrick's Day due to the COVID-19 pandemic where Biden recommitted the U.S. to the Good Friday Accord, which brought peace to the island of Ireland after decades of conflict between Ireland and the United Kingdom.
The accord has been under increasing stress since the United Kingdom, and consequently Northern Ireland, formally left the European Union in 2020.
Biden, who is Irish-American, has long been a proponent for stronger U.S.-Ireland ties. In 2016, he visited the country in "a trip I’ll always remember" he remarked at the Irelands Fund event.
Other former presidents with Irish roots include John F. Kennedy, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama.
While the White House will no doubt adjust its schedule of in-person events to account for Martin's diagnosis, Biden's support for Ireland was unfazed on Wednesday evening.
"It’s a certitude built on both our nations that we’ve always shared a deep spark. Everything between us runs deep – the literature, the poetry, the sadness, the joy, but, most of all, our resilience," Biden said at the gala.
"Despite everything, we’ve never stopped being dreamers. And I think we Irish are the only people in the world who actually are nostalgic for the future," Biden continued.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Follow Matthew Brown online @mrbrownsir.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Irish leader positive for COVID before St. Patrick's Day with Biden
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