Joe Biden has corrected a reference he made to the Black and Tans when he meant the All Blacks (Tony Maxwell/PA)
Joe Biden has corrected a reference he made to the Black and Tans when he meant the All Blacks (Tony Maxwell/PA)
Cheers and laughter echoed around the Irish parliament chamber after US President Joe Biden corrected his earlier gaffe where he referred to the New Zealand rugby team as the “Black and Tans”.
In a speech in Co Louth on Wednesday, Mr Biden confused the name of the famous New Zealand rugby team, the All Blacks, with the contentious Irish War of Independence-era police force.
He made the gaffe at the Windsor Bar in Dundalk, when he thanked relative and former Irish rugby, player Rob Kearney, for the gift of the Irish team tie after a victory against the New Zealand rugby team at Soldier Field in Chicago in 2016.
But on Thursday, Mr Biden pumped his fist as he corrected the record, saying: “I always have a little bit of Ireland close by when I’m in Washington.
“In the Oval Office I have a rugby ball signed by the Irish ruby team when they beat the All Blacks in Dublin in 2021.”
The president smiled as the chamber loudly applauded.
Earlier on Thursday, the White House said it was “very clear” Mr Biden was referring to the New Zealand rugby union team when he made a mistaken reference to “the Black and Tans”.
The Black and Tans is a name for part-time officers recruited to bolster Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) numbers in Ireland during the War of Independence, many of whom gained a violent reputation.
During his trip to Dundalk on Wednesday, Mr Biden mistakenly said: “See this tie I have, this shamrock tie?
“It was given to me by one of these guys right here, who’s a hell of a rugby player who beat the hell out of the Black and Tans.”
Correcting himself after grimacing, Mr Biden continued: “Ah God – but, but it was when you were at Soldier Field, wasn’t it? Chicago?
“After it was all over, he gave my brother, allegedly for me – but if it wasn’t I still took it – I still got the tie.
“I wore it with great pride.”
The official transcript on the White House website was amended to say the “All Blacks”.
The RIC was disbanded following the partition of Ireland in 1921 and replaced by An Garda Siochana.
Ireland beat the All Blacks for the first time in 111 years in a 2016 match at Soldier Field in Chicago, a venue chosen in an attempt to increase the exposure of the sport.