THE White House has officially acknowledged a gaffe by the US President Joe Biden after he went off-script in Dundalk by accidentally praising the former Irish Rugby international Rob Kearney for beating the 'All Black and Tans'.
Having managed to smoothly navigate the tricky political environment in Northern Ireland, Mr Biden had been enjoying time tracing his family roots in Co Louth with a tour of Carlingford Castle followed by a visit to The Windsor Bar.
The official transcript posted on the White House website has now officially corrected the slip-up, while also noting the President quickly laughed his mistake off.
During his speech, Mr Biden told patrons that Kearney was “a hell of a rugby player, and beat the All Black and Tans”.
Joe Biden, talking about his distant cousin Rob Kearney being in an Irish rugby team that beat the All Blacks, just said they “beat the hell out of the Black and Tans”.
— Barry Malone (@malonebarry) April 12, 2023
Irish Twitter is going to have a field day. pic.twitter.com/QOohYaJ9TY
Mr Biden seemed to instantly realise the slip-up, where he confused the New Zealand rugby team with the Black and Tans, a group of former British soldiers who fought in the First World War and were drafted in to support the Royal Irish Constabulary during the Irish War of Independence.
With a reputation for brutality, their nickname came from the appearance of their improvised uniforms.
The force became notorious for the massacre of 14 people and wounding 60 others at a Gaelic football match at Dublin’s Croke Park in 1920.
It wasn't long before the unusual moment went viral on Twitter, with one person joking: "Who had 'Rob Kearney being complimented by Joe Biden for beating the Black and Tans' on their bingo card?"
Others photo shopped images of Kearney beside archive pictures of Black and Tans while some noted the absurdity of how he made the comments in a pub called 'The Windsor' on the week of the Good Friday Agreement anniversary.
Today, Mr Biden's state visit continues with an address in the Irish parliament and a series of official engagements in Dublin.
He is also due to meet the Irish President Michael D Higgins at his official residence in Phoenix Park followed by a meeting with the Taoiseach Leo Varadkar at Farmleigh House, where he will be invited to watch a sports demonstration by young Gaelic games players.
The day's itinerary will conclude with a banquet in his honor at Dublin Castle hosted by Mr Varadkar.
