Laurita Blewitt (born 28 September 1983) is an Irish radio presenter and producer from Knockmore, County Mayo.[1] She is an experienced fundraiser for the Mayo Roscommon Hospice Foundation.[2][3][4] She was a podcaster on The Tommy and Hector Podcast with Laurita Blewitt from September 2020 until its closure in April 2024.[5][6][7][8]
Laurita Blewitt | |
|---|---|
| Born | Laurita Blewitt 28 September 1983 Knockmore, County Mayo, Ireland |
| Nationality | Irish |
| Education | St. Mary's Secondary School, Ballina, County Mayo Ballyfermot College of Further Education |
| Occupation(s) | Podcaster, fundraising |
| Employer(s) | The Mayo News iRadio Government of Ireland MidWest Radio |
| Known for | Cousin of President of the United States Joe Biden, podcasting, fundraising, news reporting |
| Spouse | |
Blewitt previously served as sports reporter for The Mayo News from 2006 to 2007, producer on i102-104FM's The Tommy and Hector Show and Breakfast with Bernard & Keith from 2007 to 2011,[9] parliamentary assistant to Fine Gael TD John O'Mahony from 2010 to 2011[10] and traffic manager for MidWest Radio from 2012 to 2015.[11][12]
Blewitt is the third cousin of the 46th and current president of the United States, Joe Biden.[13][14][15]
Early life
editBlewitt was born in Knockmore, County Mayo, Ireland. She attended St. Mary's Secondary School in Ballina, County Mayo from 1996 to 2002 and Ballyfermot College of Further Education from 2003 to 2005.[11][16]
Personal life
editIn late 2021, Blewitt became engaged to Joe Brolly, a Gaelic football analyst, former player and current barrister.[17] They married at the Ice House Hotel in County Mayo in August 2022.[18][19]
Cousin of Joe Biden
editBlewitt is the third cousin of Joe Biden, the 46th and current president of the United States.[20][21][22]
Blewitt and her older brother Joe have met Biden several times.[23] In 2016, the Blewitts met Biden in Ireland when he visited as the 47th vice president of the United States, and in 2017 in the White House, when Biden was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama.[24][25][26][27]
On Inauguration Day of Joe Biden on 20 January 2021, Blewitt appeared on British daytime television programme This Morning and praised Biden for overcoming "such adversity" in his life and called criticism of his age "cheap and nasty".
References
edit- ^ "A Day in the Life: Laurita Blewitt". The Mayo News. 8 September 2020. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
- ^ "iDonate - Support Laurita Blewitt's fundraising page". idonate.ie. iDonate. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
- ^ "Staff - Mayo Roscommon Hospice". hospice.ie. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
- ^ Loftus, Majella (3 November 2020). "JOE BIDEN'S MAYO COUSINS ARE HOPEFUL OF VICTORY". Western People. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
- ^ Wrona, Adrianna (2 April 2024). "Tommy, Hector & Laurita podcast comes to an end 'due to individual careers and schedules'". Irish Independent. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
- ^ Lloyd, Brian (September 2020). "Tommy Tiernan and Hector O'hEochagain are doing a weekly podcast series". Entertainment.ie. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
- ^ O'Malley, Paul (3 September 2020). "MAYO WOMAN TEAMS UP WITH COMEDY LEGENDS FOR NEW PODCAST". Western People. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
- ^ O'Sullivan, Eoghan (7 September 2020). "Podcast Corner: Tommy Tiernan, Laurita Blewitt and Hector Ó hEochagáin take matters into their own hands". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
- ^ "Laurita Blewitt - Email and Phone - ContactOut". contactout.com. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
- ^ "Joe Biden's Mayo cousins on edge for US election". The Mayo News. 3 November 2020. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
- ^ a b "Laurita Blewitt - Podcaster - Tommy&Hector Podcast with Laurita Blewitt - LinkedIn". ie.linkedin.com. Retrieved 24 January 2021 – via LinkedIn.
- ^ "I Radio tuned and ready". The Mayo News. 12 February 2008. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
- ^ Stenson, Joe (12 October 2020). "Irish locals show their colours in Biden's ancestral home". Yahoo! News. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
- ^ Quinn, Trevor (5 November 2020). "Joe Biden's cousins in Mayo bursting with pride as he got most votes in US election history". Irish Mirror. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
- ^ "Joe Biden tells Irish cousin: "My priority is to get to Ireland"". irishcentral.com. Irish Central. 2 July 2020. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
- ^ "European Graduates - Ireland". graduates.name. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
- ^ Kierans, John (2 August 2022). "GAA hero and pundit Joe Brolly to marry US President Joe Biden's cousin and star of Ireland's top podcast". Belfast Live. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
- ^ Glennon, Nicole (8 August 2022). "It's a match! Laurita Blewitt weds GAA pundit Joe Brolly in Mayo". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 10 August 2022.
- ^ Kierans, John; Kent, David (8 August 2022). "GAA legend Joe Brolly marries podcast host Laurita Blewitt in intimate ceremony". Belfast Live. Retrieved 10 August 2022.
- ^ Carroll, Rory (8 November 2020). "'We're thrilled': Joe Biden's Irish relatives celebrate in County Mayo". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
- ^ Flanagan, Eimear (7 November 2020). "Joe Biden: Meet the Irish cousins cheering on the president-elect". BBC News. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
- ^ Quann, Jack (4 November 2020). "'The whole of Ballina is behind Biden' - Mayo locals celebrate Joe Biden". Newstalk. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
- ^ Murray, Eavan (3 September 2020). "'Joe Biden could walk into your kitchen and just sit there and have the craic' - US presidential candidate's Mayo cousins say he's proud of Irish roots". Irish Independent. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
- ^ D'Angelo, Bob (7 November 2020). "Joe Biden's ancestral roots run through Ireland". Fox News. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
- ^ Newman, Meredith (24 January 2021). "Like Wilmington, Biden's Irish ancestral town claims the president-elect as a 'native son'". Delaware Online. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
- ^ Neely, Bill; Suliman, Adela (18 November 2020). "Joe Biden's Irish ancestral hometown, Ballina, revels in win as London grows uneasy over Brexit". NBC News. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
- ^ Flanagan, Eimear (31 October 2020). "Joe Biden: Election fever and the Bidens' Irish relatives". BBC News. Retrieved 24 January 2021.