The Irish cousin of Barack Obama has said Joe Biden's visit to Ireland next month will be a massive boost for the communities with ancestral links to the US President.
Henry Healy, who hit the headlines after discovering that he was the 8th cousin of former US President Barack Obama isn't expecting to be a part of Biden's visit in April despite meeting him on several occasions.
The Moneygall native told the Irish Mirror: "I met him during his time as Vice President. We had our visit and it's great to see that two other communities will have the excitement for the build up of a visit from a sitting US President."
READ MORE: Joe Biden confirms plan to visit Ireland to mark 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement
He said that it will be great for both the communities in Louth and in Mayo, where relations of President Biden live.
The 46th President, now 80-years-old, is related to Finnegan's from Cooley Peninsula in Co Louth, through a great-great-grandfather, as well as to the Blewitt's from Ballina in Co Mayo, through another great-great-grandfather.
It is understood President Biden will visit Ireland mid-April with Hillary Clinton, as a mark of respect for the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement. The US secret service has already conducted some pre-clearance security checks.
Henry recalls the wonders done for the community of Moneygall after discovering that former US President Barack Obama's distant relatives came from the small village.
"The biggest thing his legacy left was a huge sense of community spirit, the village had to rally together to get themselves ready for the visit. We wanted to put our best foot forward for Moneygall, Offaly and Ireland.
"All the work that we put in to the visit (in 2011) has continued with enhancement and investment," he told the Irish Mirror. He said that it really opened a lot of doors for himself and the community, including plenty of visits to the White House in Washington D.C.
On one particular visit, he remembers meeting the then Vice-President Joe Biden at his eight-cousin's second inauguration, where 'friendly Joe' as he was known, pointed at one of Henry's friends, and jokingly said "make sure that guy let's me go over on a visit to Ireland."
"He was always up for a bit of craic," the Offaly man added.
While Henry says he won't be a part of that visit this time and doesn't expect Obama to be, he has some strong words of encouragement for the communities that could potentially welcome the 46th President home.
"Seize the opportunity and make it work. That's the best thing you can do. It will always be remembered and everything that happens then from it will always have a positive association towards the visit," he said.
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