President Joe Biden has reinforced his pride in his family links to Mayo in the Republic of Ireland saying the county was now “part of my soul”.
He was addressing tens of thousands of people on the final part of his four-day visit to the island of Ireland.
Mr Biden said the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement was a reminder of the importance of peace.
On Friday night, President Bill Clinton arrived in Belfast ahead of events to mark the 1998 peace accord.
Mr Clinton tweeted to say he was honoured to be back.
Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister) Leo Varadkar told those gathered in Ballina on Friday night that Mr Biden was “the most Irish of all American presidents”.
President Joe Biden walked onto the stage at St Muredach’s Cathedral to rapturous applause and to the sound of Dropkick Murphy’s I’m Shipping Up from Boston.
“Hello Mayo, it’s great to be hearing you all, it’s great to be back here in Ballina,” he said.
His speech encompassed the importance of peace, family and the ties between Ireland and America.
Mr Biden emphasised the deep-rooted connection he has to County Mayo.
“Over the years stories of this place have become part of my soul, part of my family lore,” he said.
Mr Biden said he and his siblings were raised with “a fierce pride in our Irish ancestry”.
Referencing the 1998 peace agreement, that largely ended almost 30 years of violence in Northern Ireland, Mr Biden said it was a reminder of “what you can accomplish when we work together in common cause”.
As he finished up his speech, he shouted “Mayo for Sam” as the crowds cheered on.
The words are a reference to the county’s decades-long desire to win the Sam Maguire Cup in the All-Ireland Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) final.
Earlier, Mr Biden had a chance encounter in Mayo with the priest who gave the last rites to his son Beau.
Beau Biden, the former Delaware Attorney General, died from brain cancer in 2015.
During a visit to Knock Shrine, the president met ex-US Army chaplain Fr Frank O’Grady who is now working at the shrine.
