Biden butchers Irish history by referring to rugby team as ‘Black and Tans’

President Joe Biden, in attempting to pay tribute to his Irish rugby player cousin, managed to mix up the world-famous New Zealand team with an infamous group of constables known for their brutality during the Irish War of Independence.

Biden was speaking in the Windsor Bar in Dundalk, Ireland, on Wednesday as part of his tour of the region for the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday agreement.

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During the speech, he paid tribute to Rob Kearney, a former stalwart of the Ireland international rugby team and a distant cousin of Biden.

In 2016, Kearney played in a game for Ireland at Chicago’s Soldier Field, where they defeated New Zealand, nicknamed the “All Blacks” because of their entirely black uniform, for the first time in 111 years.

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However, the gaffe-prone president butchered his delivery when trying to pay tribute to Kearney.

“You see this tie I have with the shamrock on it?” Biden began. “This was given to me by one of these guys right here, who was a hell of a rugby player, and they beat the hell out of the Black and Tans … but it was when you were at Soldier Field, wasn’t it? Chicago.”

The mix-up led to some pained groans from onlookers.

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The Black and Tans were part-time officers who were overwhelmingly British and were recruited to bolster the numbers of the Royal Irish Constabulary in Ireland during the War of Independence and counter the terrorism threat posed by the Irish Republican Army. The group themselves were named for their distinctive uniform and became notorious for their own brutality. It was disbanded in 1921.

Biden also took the opportunity to go on a walkabout in Dundalk, where he greeted onlookers. He was joined on the walkabout by his son, Hunter Biden.

Patrick Semansky/AP