St Patrick's cheer can't mask all Biden's problems

It is the good news story US President Joe Biden has been waiting to celebrate and one which he badly needs right now.

It will add some shine to the St Patrick's Day celebrations in Washington DC this week and provide a timely boost for Team Biden ahead of the presidential election in November.

On Sunday, the president will mark the occasion when he hosts the first and deputy first ministers in the White House.

Expect lots of back slapping now the political fruits of the Good Friday Agreement are back on track.

But while the resolution of one conflict 26 years ago is still being celebrated, another conflict will overshadow the festivities in Washington this week.

The Israeli air strikes and ongoing ground operation in Gaza in response to the Hamas attacks on 7 October will place a strain on relations between the visitors and their hosts.

That was clear from the moment Taoiseach (Irish prime minister) Leo Varadkar landed in the United States earlier in the week.

At his first engagement in Boston on Monday he told his US audience "when thousands of children are being killed no one can avert their eyes".

It was a veiled swipe at the US support for the bombardment of Gaza.

However, the taoiseach was careful to also reflect on the "act of pure evil" carried out by Hamas in October.

That speech is likely to set the tone for what we can expect this week.

Though the Biden administration is pushing hard to get humanitarian aid into Gaza, the US vetoed three UN resolutions calling for a ceasefire.

First Minister Michelle O'Neill, of Sinn Féin, who like the other political leaders was under pressure to boycott the White House, said she will speak up for Palestinians.

Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly is likely to follow her party - the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) - in its support for the Israeli government.

Aside from those difficult conversations, the first and deputy first ministers will be keen to cash in on the good will generated by Stormont's return.

Judging by the list of engagements, they will take centre stage in Washington this week and are likely to be the go-to couple for selfies.

But their focus will be on the £5bn ($6.4bn) in US investment promised by President Biden on Stormont's return.

That pledge was made during his visit to Belfast in 2023.

The president's point man in Northern Ireland, Special Envoy Joe Kennedy, will be under pressure to deliver.

To that end he is hosting a number of investment gatherings this week which will be attended by the first and deputy first ministers.

Economy Minister Conor Murphy will also be in attendance, along with Stormont Speaker Edwin Poots.

Education Minister Paul Givan is joining the delegation in Washington, where he will be lobbying to secure extra investment for childcare.

DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson is also making the trip.

In 2023, Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris played a leading role during the festivities as the only political gatekeeper in office.

This year he will be happy to drop to the supporting-role category, making way for the locally elected politicians to step up.

But while it may feel like a lap of honour now Stormont is back, there is enough to keep minds focused elsewhere.