Young entrepreneur saw Biden visit as chance to put Northern Ireland on the map

A young entrepreneur who introduced Joe Biden during his historic visit to Belfast has said that she wanted to tell the world how far Northern Ireland has come since the Good Friday Agreement in 1998.

Gabrielle Feenan, 24, from Banbridge, who shared a stage with the US president at Ulster University in April, also told how she had to keep her role in the event a secret from even her family.

Mr Biden spoke at the new £350 million campus to mark the 25th anniversary of the historic peace deal during his visit to the island of Ireland.

Ms Feenan, an interior designer, who was born following the Good Friday Agreement, was chosen to make a speech and introduce the president to the stage.

She told the PA news agency: "It all happened quite late. The Biden event was on the Wednesday and I didn't find out about my participation in it until the Saturday before."

"I was put in contact with the US Consulate. They asked me to come up for a meeting. I went up on the Saturday morning not sure what I was going into and I was asked if I would like to introduce the president."

"It's not really something that comes around that often nor something that I thought I'd ever be doing, but an opportunity you can't turn down."

Ms Feenan said the hardest part was keeping the secret from her friends and family.

She said: "I was trying to keep this massive secret in. It was hard not having anybody to proof-read your speech, especially when you are speaking to such a global audience."

"My parents didn't know a single thing. They really weren't expecting it at all until they saw it on TV."

"I think they were just astounded about the whole thing, how I'd been able to keep it all in."

Ms Feenan said she saw the opportunity to highlight the work being done by young entrepreneurs in Northern Ireland.

She said: "It was a privilege and an honour to be able to go and stand there as a representative of the entrepreneurial spirit which is here in Northern Ireland."

"Beforehand a few of us were brought out the back to meet him and get some photographs taken. He really was very down to earth and it was a really nice chat."

"Meeting him on that personal level really settled my nerves beforehand because he was so normal, that took away any fears that I had."

"I think once I was in the moment I was just focusing on not falling on the stage and not tripping over my words. It was just a matter of get up there, get the job done and then relax after that."

"It definitely was daunting when you are standing up there and all you can see is a sea of media."

She added: "He made a joke to me when I was coming off the stage. He said whenever you are the next world leader don't forget about me, that was nice."

"His visit was to mark the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement. I was born a year after it, I am someone who has reaped the benefits of it."

"I wanted to focus on the global stage about how far we've come in the last 25 years, what opportunities I have had, where it has brought me, what I have been able to do with it but also looking towards the next 25 years to come."

"It is really important to look at how far we have come and respect and appreciate it but the work is by no means done and there is always further to go."

"I wanted to strike home in that range of looking ahead, look what's already been achieved and imagine what more we could do if everybody came together and invested in the youth of Northern Ireland and Northern Ireland in general."

"I think the biggest takeaway was backing and supporting young people here and how special of a generation we are and how much potential we have."

"The main message was to look forward, to invest in the young people, see where you can help and to get stuck in and help with the people here because we have a lot to offer."

Ms Feenan said she believed her involvement in Mr Biden's visit was a life-changing event and she hopes it will continue to have a positive and lasting effect on Northern Ireland."

She said: "Immediately after I was doing lots of media. I remember seeing myself on the news and thinking that's really bizarre."

"It was like being a celebrity for a day."

"Then it was more about thinking long term. People know about us now, it was about how we capitalise on that exposure."

"It helped to drive a really positive change across the board which can only be life-changing not only for me but for everyone else."