US Vice President Joe Biden visited Ireland earlier this week – to attend mass.

Air Force Two touched down in Shannon Airport on Tuesday for a stopover en route to Washington after visiting Ukraine.

The 8th of December is a holy day of obligation for Catholics, and the Vice President requested a mass be held in the airport chapel.

A short mass was held in the chapel for Biden and any of his travelling staff who wished to attend, according to Bloomberg.

Expand Close Joe Biden and his wife Jill as he announces that he will not seek the Democratic nomination for president in 2016 REUTERS / Facebook

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The politician, who recently ruled himself out of running against Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination, also posed for photos with airport staff.

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He also went for a look in the airport’s gift shop for presents for his family, flanked by secret service agents.

73-year-old Biden's reading choices are also influenced by Ireland - he's currently reading Eamon DeValera's biography.

Expand Close President Barack Obama, accompanied by Vice President Joe Biden, speaks in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, July 1, 2015. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais) AP / Facebook

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Whatsapp President Barack Obama, accompanied by Vice President Joe Biden, speaks in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, July 1, 2015. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

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