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THERE WERE EMOTIONAL scenes in Delaware yesterday as Beau Biden, the son of US vice president Joe Biden, was laid to rest.
US President Barack Obama gave a speech at the funeral of the 46-year-old, who died eight days ago from brain cancer.
“He did in 46 years what most of us couldn’t do in 146,” Obama told mourners. “He left nothing in the tank.”
Obama called himself part of the Biden clan, and described Beau Biden as a selfless son and a true public servant.
“He [chose to] live a life of meaning…. a life for others,” Obama told mourners, recalling how Beau Biden overcame an early family tragedy and chose to dedicate his life to other people.
“Beau Biden brought to his work a mighty heart, he brought to his family a mighty heart,” Obama said.
The US president quoted Irish poet Patrick Kavanagh in his remarks, saying:
“A man,” wrote an Irish poet, “is original when he speaks the truth that has always been known to all good men.” Beau Biden was an original.
“[Joe's mother] told Joe once that out of everything bad that happens to you, something good will come if you look hard enough. And I suppose she was channeling that same Irish poet with whom I began today, Patrick Kavanagh, when he wrote, “And I said, let grief be a fallen leaf at the dawning of the day.”
Source: Associated Press
Joe Biden led the mourners at a Catholic church in Delaware at a funeral service which was attended by his family, politicians, military leaders, and other mourners. He did not speak at the funeral.
For the US vice president, the death marked yet another untimely loss. He lost his wife and his infant daughter in a car crash in 1972, which left Beau and his brother Hunter badly injured.
Beau Biden, who was the oldest son of the vice president, had been diagnosed with brain cancer two years ago.
He had served for two terms as the attorney general for Delaware, and had been planning to run for governor of the state. He had also served in Iraq.
"He was our protector, our mediator, the captain of our lives," his sister Ashley Biden told mourners, describing how she would accompany her brother to his chemotherapy treatments.
The chief of staff of the US Army, General Ray Odierno, called him "a father, a husband, a son, a friend, a leader, a soldier and a patriot".
His life was far too short, Odierno said, but Beau Biden had "a life that had incredible meaning and a life that left an indelible mark on all of us".
Coldplay lead singer Chris Martin performed the group's song 'Till Kingdom Come' during the service. The White House said that Beau Biden had been a Coldplay fan and that Martin had offered to sing when he found out.
Hunter Biden, 45, said his earliest memory was of lying next to bis brother in the hospital after the 1972 car crash, when Beau has holding his hand and telling him, 'I love you'.
"And as it began, so did it end," Hunter Biden said, describing his brother's final moments in hospital surrounded by family.
"Each of us desperately, desperately holding him. Each of us whispering, "I love you, I love you, I love you". I held his hand, and he took his last breath, and I know that I was loved".
Additional reporting by Associated Press
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Has Denis O’Brien any footwear companies I wonder?
@Windom Earle: he wouldn’t put his own shoes on for that sum.
@Windom Earle: nice one. He will acquire one now
@Windom Earle: Comments closing in 5..4..3…
That will eventually cost 8.5m …
@David Weston: and they will all end up with a pair of lefts
@David Weston: 2.5 million per shoe knowing this government!
@Johnny Sins: now THAT is a slight exaggeration!! Lol
Is there a guarantee that this contract goes to an Irish company based company? Just curious.
@Mushy Peas:
It should go to the company that supplies the best footwear for the cheapest price price.
Our taxes shouldn’t be used to subsidise an Irish company if they can’t be competitive.
@Mushy Peas: I believe EU law states it’s open to all EU companies
@Mushy Peas: Being a member of the EU means that public contracts are open to otherEuropean countries also. Similarity, Irish companies regularly tender for contracts in other EU countries. We can’t have it both ways
@Mushy Peas: Its illegal to do that We are in the Eu Free trade means you cant favour your own The tender has to go out all over the Eu countries
@Patrick Nolan: I agree, and I wish Ireland was competitive enough to win the contract.
Thanks all for clarifying the EU / public contracts situation. I wasn’t intending to say I think it should only be Irish companies winning the contracts, just wanted to know the situation.
Denis O Brien just bought Dr Martin’s from NAMA. How incredibly fortunate.
@Frankie Mangan:
Link?
@Frankie Mangan: They probably get the new Kinahan-Hutch boots as nothing sticks to them not even the Gardaí themselves lol.
As a former UK police officer I had to provide my own shoes. After retireing to this country I was amazed to discover how much more the police pay scales were to the UK. I forecast another recession if this sort of thing continues.
@Ray Noble: Just means unfortunately the pay in the UK wasn’t good enough, I think the Gardaí are well paid and deserveit
@Ray Noble: I lived in England twice. Met a number of bobbies. No criticisms from me, but the calibre of the average Garda is higher than the average UK cop. You get what you pay for, usually.
@Battaz: lived in the UK for quit a while. Calibre of the police and Garda I dealt with were high. One thing to note when I was younger and started driving a motorbike, when I fecked up and got stopped by the UK police, they would spend time and explain what I was doing wrong and why I needed to change it worked. Here I never see a Garda giving advice but they do seem to go straight for a ticket which is a missed opportunity to teach people
@Dan: How many tickets have you seen being issued on your travels in Ireland?
And how long do you usually observe the interaction between Garda and motorist/driver in this situation?
@Chris Scarffe-Cody:
Groosly overpaid, impossible to bring to account for anything from parking fines scandal, breath test scandal , Templemore funds, widespread corruption , I intimidation of whistldblowers etc etc and all for a measly 1.7 billion a year.
No comparison should be made between UK police and our bunch of blue flue moaners.
@Ray Noble: Britain is a broken society. Why compare us to Britain as opposed to a country with a good quality of life
@Dan: I too lived in UK
The police were a great group of people.as a nurse in A andE I dealt with them a good deal.
@Battaz: would that include 1million false breath tests corruption in the gardai collage and our commissioner trying to destroy Maurice mcCabe and you think we have a good police force
60 euro per year per garda worn 60 hours every ten days on average. Big shock. Non news story here.
So it’s actually the govt looking for advice on Brexit disguised as a shoe tender?
BAM should go for it
@Dan: Ming might push for flip flops and save for bog war funding .
As long as they’re better than the current muck that AGS are issued with. Good brand but a completely unsuitable boot.
Fairness, average garda spends their entire day on their feet, this should be a no brainier.
Why is this news? Yawn
This is not news. Nor do people need to know about it.
Kickers?
@Carrington MacG: Who’s doing their knickers and undies, Asbestos Ltd?
Why not have them wear their own shoes and give them covers in case needed..
And yes I know the sole of a Garda shoe is all the same thread etc.. but you don’t see detectives wearing the issued shoes.. give them the cash to buy more cars and equipment God knows they need it..
@Sportmad: Garda shoes / boots have steel toe caps and reinforced soles…wear your own shoes pffft.
@Sportmad: They’re a UNIFORM body and as shoes and boots are classed as PPE the employer must, by law, provide them free of charge.
@SFNutters: jesus louise ur very touchy..
Then why do the nurses have to buy their own shoes? State employees too you can buy steel toecaps anywhere
Pair of George Webbs. Be grand.
14300 guards, €175 per guard. €60 per year. Terrible shoes.
@Will Rymer: awful shoes . Better then the ‘jolly’ brand they had before which was a warehouse boot and the box said. ‘Not suitable for walking’ you couldn’t write that.
@Will Rymer: Some have 2 left feet as well?
Jesus! You can buy these at a car boot sale.
@Dave Barrett: Must be a bloody big boot to hold over 20,000 pairs
@Dave Barrett: Or at a Kinahan-Hutch CAB sale, just joking…
Not that poor a news day to justify such a non story!.
Road stone?
@Maurice Dodd: Leprechauns make shoes like TD’s work in the Dail lol.
I nursed for 50 years constantly on our feet, we nurses had to buy our own shoes and I worked in many countries. Never freebies.
@Patricia Mcnamara: cool story.
Gesture to the Brexit gang, Doc Martins
13000 or so Guards equates to 6500 pairs of shoes.
How many pairs will they be getting each?
Answer on page 33.
Why do garda get their shoes supplied to them. ? Do they pay benefit in kind? Genuine questions no smart answers please
Shoezone sorted !
Dr. Martin’s god knows the uk could do with the business….. Or if it suits the Irish manufacturing side China ….cheaper and better quality. If all else fails Aldi or Lidl. 29.99e per pair
When I was in the Defence Forces we were issued with German Haix boots for winter wear and a lightweight boot for summer use and hot countries. Both were very high quality
I had to buy my own shoes and trousers for work, gardai should do the same
have your say