Vice-President Joe Biden arrived in Ireland today and had a very busy day. He arrived in Dublin, met with President Michael D. Higgins and then headed to his ancestral village, Ballina in Co Mayo, accompanied by the Irish Minister (formal title - Taoiseach, which translates as chieftain) Enda Kenny. He traveled from there through Castlebar to Westport to be hosted at Westport's premier pub, Matt Molloy's. Matt is the fluteplayer for the world-famous Chieftains. He's a resident of Westport and has created an environment of extraordinary music - the best musicians come from all over the world to play trad jam sessions at Matt's in the hope of being "discovered." A great honor for Molloy to be singled out in this manner; the man has had terrible tragedies in the last few years, losing both his wife and daughter to breast cancer. By all accounts, he seems to be a very fine man.
