This week's conference on doing business with the Baltics got off to a flying start when Desmond Miller, chairman of the Irish-Swedish Business Association, stood up to introduce the Minister for Public Enterprise, Ms O'Rourke.

Mary O'Rourke came from a distinguished political family, he said, and was one of the most experienced in the Cabinet. Then, in mid-sentence, he turned the page, to find the rest of his short speech was missing.

The problem was that the sentence on which he paused began: "She has enormous. . ."

A titter ran across the room as Mr Miller searched frantically for his script. After 30 seconds there were guffaws. Then, as tears of laughter rolled down the cheeks of many of the executives, he found the missing page.

"She has enormous ministerial responsibilities in her current post," he said.

Fortunately, the Minister took it all in her stride. , wisecracking that she was sure Mr Miller had cooked up the whole episode with the boys at Fitzwilliam tennis club the previous night.