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Cut from the Same Cloth: Joe Biden and Stephen Colbert Share More than Their Irish Heritage
Genealogy has been an unexpected door-opener for me leading to many “Who the hell let me in here?” moments over the years — not the least of which are the opportunities I’ve had to interact with President Biden. As an Irish American, I rarely miss a chance to delve into the Irish ancestry of those I admire, so I’ve been exploring his roots since 2008 and written about them several times, including “Joey from Scranton” (pages 56–59) when he was inducted into the Irish America Hall of Fame.
Joe Biden has made numerous trips to Ireland over the years, but this week’s journey will be his first as President, and for both Ireland and Irish Americans, that’s a big deal. As journalist Lynne Kelleher, author of The Green and White House points out, next to John F. Kennedy, he is the most Irish of American presidents.
I’ve shared my discoveries about plenty of others with Irish heritage including Bruce Springsteen, Melissa McCarthy, Jimmy Fallon, Barack Obama, Katy Perry, Rachel Maddow, and Judy Collins, but have long been struck by the parallels between Joe Biden and one other in particular — and that’s Stephen Colbert.
I started climbing Colbert’s family tree back in 2007 and first offered some gleanings in “The Colbert (Genealogical) Report” (pages 38–41 — and yes, it was that long ago). So what do they have in common?
It’s apparent that both are Irish American, but just how Irish? In President Biden’s case, the answer is 5/8ths, while Colbert is an impressive 15/16ths. By now, many know that Biden’s immigrant ancestors hailed from Mayo, Louth, and Galway, while Colbert can claim Limerick, Antrim/Down (Belfast), Laois, Monaghan, Cavan and Offaly — at least. There are likely other counties in the mix, but some of Colbert’s family arrived early enough that it’s lucky if the paper trail says Ireland, much less a town or county. So between them, they undoubtedly have countless unaware cousins scattered around Ireland and Northern Ireland.
Both are devout Catholics. Colbert admits to having wavered in his 20s before recovering his faith, while Biden, who “who carries a rosary in his pocket and attends Mass every Sunday,” has steadfastly held to his Catholicism. Both regard it as an…
