At the annual Friends of Ireland luncheon, traditionally hosted by the House speaker at the Capitol, Nancy Pelosi said she plans to diverge from the customary St. Patrick’s Day festivities to acknowledge the horrific war and humanitarian crisis unfolding in Ukraine—with a poem by U2 star Bono. “I’m going to be reading a poem written by Bono about Ukraine, which you might find interesting,” she said at a press conference. The luncheon itself was jeopardized when Taoiseach Micheál Martin of Ireland was forced to hastily excuse himself from the Ireland Funds National Gala in D.C. Wednesday evening, a gala Pelosi and Biden both attended, after testing positive for COVID-19. Pelosi later explained that any exposure risk occurred during the dinner’s first course: “The Taoiseach had on a mask when he sat down. But then when he started to eat, he took off the mask,” she told reporters Thursday. “It was during the appetizer that they took him away.” She claims that since she’s tested daily, she isn’t concerned about having caught COVID, and Thursday’s Friends of Ireland show will go on. The Hill reports that despite the potential exposure, Biden is likewise still planning to be present at the Capitol for the luncheon.
