‘I’m going to brag to my daughter’: Joe Biden reveals he’s a huge fan of An Irish Goodbye star James Martin as he poses for photo with Oscar winner during tour of Northern Ireland
Joe Biden was a little star-struck during his first full day touring Northern Ireland on Wednesday, after he spotted An Irish Goodbye star James Martin in the crowd.
The President said he was going to go home and ‘brag to my daughter’ after posing for a photo with James, 31, who won Best Live Action Short at this year’s Oscars.
James became the first leading actor with Down Syndrome to win an Academy Award after his portrayal of Lorcan in a story about brothers reuniting after their mother’s death.
Joe, 80, led the applause after he pointed out James in the audience while delivering a speech at Ulster University in Belfast.
Belfast-native James, who worked as a barrister in Starbucks before his big break, bowed his head in acknowledgment and later posed for a photo with Biden.
‘I’m going to brag to my daughter’: Joe Biden was a little star-struck during his first full day touring Northern Ireland on Wednesday, after he spotted An Irish Goodbye star James Martin
Say cheese: The president said he was going to go home and ‘brag to my daughter’ after posing for a photo with James, 31, who won Best Live Action Short at this year’s Oscars
The president said: ‘Today Northern Ireland is a churn of creativity, art, poetry, theatre.
‘Some of our favourite television shows and movies are filmed here, as you know.
‘I got to meet James, I got my picture taken, I’m going to go home and brag to my daughter’.
Joe is proud dad to his daughter Ashley, 41.
Fans took to Twitter after the shout out. One wrote: ‘Nice to see James Martin at the university to see President Biden’s speech.’
Another added: ‘Look who is going to meet President Biden, Munch! Our big star James Martin!’
A third fan chimed: ‘Biden will never forget the day he met James Martin. What an absolutely brilliant photo.’
Biden said the priority for his trip — which includes three days in his ancestral homeland the Republic of Ireland — was “to keep the peace” in Northern Ireland.
Impressed: Fans took to Twitter after the shout out. One wrote: ‘Nice to see James Martin at the university to see President Biden’s speech’
Talented: James became the first leading actor with Down Syndrome to win an Academy Award after his portrayal of Lorcan in a story about brothers reuniting
Fan: Joe, 80, led the applause after he pointed out James in the audience while he delivered a speech at Ulster University in Belfast
Speech: ‘Some of our favourite television shows and movies are filmed here, as you know. I got to meet James, I got my picture taken, I’m going to go home and brag to my daughter’, he said
Joe has daughter; Ashley, 41, (pictured with his family and grandchildren)
Amazing: James celebrated his 31st birthday on stage at the Oscars and co-director Tom Berkeley led the glistening A-list crowd in singing Happy Birthday
But senior figures in the pro-UK Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), which is under pressure to resume local power-sharing, were strikingly undiplomatic about the president.
Sammy Wilson, a DUP member of the UK parliament in Westminster, branded Biden “anti-British”, accusing America’s second Catholic president of having “made his antipathy towards Protestants in particular very well known”.
Another DUP lawmaker, Nigel Dodds, suggested any mediation efforts would prove futile.
Meanwhile, James last month revealed he would be returning to his Starbucks day job after his performance in the film.
He said: ‘I help out with all the customers. I’ve been doing that a long time. It’s nice.’
The actor keeps himself busy, also working in local restaurant Scalini’s as a chef.
James celebrated his 31st birthday on stage at the Oscars and co-director Tom Berkeley led the glistening A-list crowd in singing Happy Birthday.
‘This award is actually the second most important thing about today because it’s James’ birthday,’ Tom explained.
He continued: ‘He’s out here in Hollywood wearing a leopard-print suit jacket. We would love to use the rest of our time up here to sing to James.’
Humble: Meanwhile, James last month revealed he would be returning to his Starbucks day job after his performance in the film
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