Niall Horan Performs At White House As Part Of Joe Biden-Leo Varadkar St. Patrick’s Day Celebration
Niall Horan gave a flawless performance as part of the White House’s St. Patrick’s Day celebration, admitting to the crowd of dignitaries that he was nervous and “I don’t think I’ve ever been so scared.”
But Horan, the Irish native formerly of One Direction, gave a flawless performance in the East Room, before an audience that included President Joe Biden, The Taoiseach — Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE). Horan’s playlist included Heaven, Flicker, This Town and Spancil Hill, which is about emigration, and his performance was flawless.
“You sure as hell didn’t seem nervous to me,” Biden said to him afterward, telling him that he was “welcome back anytime” to the White House.
Before his set, Horan quipped to the audience, “If you know the words, sing along. If you don’t, don’t try.”
Biden and Varadkar each spoke of the cooperation between the U.S. and Ireland.
Varadkar joked that U.S. presidents tend to claim a bit of Irish in them on St. Patrick’s Day, but said Biden was “unmistakably a son of Ireland.”
The event included the shamrock bowl handover, a tradition that dates back more than 70 years.
Biden and Varadkar also marked the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement.