Ball nearly hits President during his Ireland trip – and he tries to chase it; Moment sliotar whizzes past Biden’s HEAD during a girl’s Gaelic sports game

• Biden viewed a demonstration of Gaelic sports with Toiseach Leo Varadkar
• At one point a ball came flying close by after the crack of a bat
• Biden turned to fetch it but a youth girl player beat him to the task

President Joe Biden had a hard ball whizz not too far from his head while viewing a youth sports demonstration in Ireland – in a potential aerial the Secret Service might not have been banking on during his heavily protected trip.

The president was visiting with Irish Toiseach Leo Varadkar to see the hardball game played by Irish women and girls when the incident happened, on a day when the Irish president’s Bernese Mountain Dog barked at him during an earlier visit. 

The two leaders stood on a corner of a field during what turned out to be the sunniest day of Biden’s four day visit, viewing the Gaelic stick and ball game of Camogie, which is a female version of Hurling.

‘A sliotar (camogie ball) wizzed right by Biden’s left shoulder, nearly striking the president,’ according to a pool reporter who was with the president Thursday. 

Spectators can be heard reacting to the reasonably close call after the crack of a the wooden hurling stick.

Biden had a close view of the game while girls played the hurling game at a Gaelic sports demonstration. The players wore helmets

Biden turned to go get the ball himself, before a young player quickly ran into a wooded area to fetch it. (A sliotar is a hard ball consisting of leather with a cork center, and can move at a fast enough place that players wear helmets). 

The action all came at Farmleigh House, the residence of the Irish prime minister. 

Biden also posed with the St Brigid’s GAA Club, at an event where boys teams also demonstrated Gaelic football and hurling.

It was one of several light activities on Biden’s schedule. He was greeted to a military band when he met with Irish President Michael Higgins, where he signed a book and ran a Peace bell.

On Wednesday, despite pouring rain, Biden toured County Louth, where he has family ties, and visited the Windsor pub and restaurant in Dundalk, where people lined the streets to see him.

A sliotar (ball) blew by President Biden as he viewed a youth sporting event

Biden turned as if to fetch the ball, but a player got it

Biden and Taoiseach Leo Varadkar meet Camogie players at Farmleigh House, Phoenix Park on April 13, 2023 in Dublin. No one was injured by the errant ball

Biden was viewing the game from the corner of the field at the prime minister’s residence

Biden has shown an interest in the sport in the past

The event came years after Biden gave a sliotar to former Toiseach Enda Kenny

That all came before he was set to address the Irish parliament Thursday night, with more events on tap for Friday.

Head injuries were on Biden’s mind during that address, when he spoke about his distant cousin, a rugby player. Biden said he had played club rugby after law school, and also used to play football.

‘I realized, you know, you guys are all nuts,’ he quipped of the rough and tumble game, to laughs. But he weighed in on safety issues surrounding football, where concussions are a rising concern.

‘Interesting thing is, I’d rather have my children playing rugby now for health reasons  than I would have them playing football. Fewer people get hurt playing rugby, and you have no equipment, you have 280 pound guys like we do, and you  just don’t hit each other in the head very often.’

It’s not clear whether his views are backed up on the field. Concussion rates have been rising in pro rugby, and at least one study has it comparing poorly to football for injuries and concussions. 

Source: Read Full Article