Joe Biden breaks down as he meets priest who gave his son the last rites

Joe Biden broke down in tears on the final day of his four-day trip to Ireland after a chance meeting with the priest who gave his son Beau the last rites before he died in 2015.

He told RTE that he was surprised to be called because he knew it was a private visit and only a select number of people were allowed into the basilica.

Biden, who is wrapping up his trip to Ireland, made a private visit to the shrine, which is an important pilgrimage site for practising Catholics as it marks the spot where Mary, mother of Jesus, was supposed to have appeared on a wet, dark August evening in 1879.

Biden later visited a nearby County Mayo hospice, where he broke ground at its construction in 2017. A plaque on the ground at the entrance to the hospice is dedicated to Beau Biden.

The president, a devout Catholic, took a moment to look at the plaque before entering the hospice to meet the staff.