Taoiseach Micheál Martin is travelling to Washington DC on Friday and is to meet US president Donald Trump in the White House next Tuesday, St Patrick’s Day.
Martin will also visit Philadelphia and is among nine Irish representatives who are due to travel to the United States.
The visit could prove tricky for the Taoiseach to navigate, as he will undoubtedly face questions about the US and Israel’s military action against Iran, which has sparked wider conflict in the Middle East and Gulf regions and a surge in fuel prices.
The Government has not condemned the bombing of Iran as a breach of international law, but Opposition parties and the President have done so, with Catherine Connolly stating at the weekend that recent attacks in the Middle East are “deliberate assaults on international law”.
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Are other Ministers travelling abroad for St Patrick’s Day?
Yes. The aim of this year’s diplomatic programme is to “highlight Ireland’s place in the world as a small, open trading economy”.
Alongside Martin’s visit, with stops in Washington and Philadelphia, a total of 40 Ministers and other State representatives are travelling to more than 50 countries.
There is a big focus on the US, with Minister for Foreign Affairs Helen McEntee going to Boston, Minister for Enterprise Peter Burke heading to New York, and Minister for Culture Patrick O’Donovan visiting Atlanta and Savannah. Minister for Housing James Browne will be in Chicago, Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon will be in San Francisco, Ministers of State Robert Troy and Niamh Smyth will travel to Austin, Texas and Miami, Florida respectively, and Ceann Comhairle Verona Murphy will visit Los Angeles.
Where are others going?
China: Minister of State Jerry Buttimer
Canada: Minister for Social Protection Dara Calleary (stops in Ottawa and Toronto)
France: Tánaiste and Minister for Finance Simon Harris (Paris)
UK: Tánaiste and Minister for Finance Simon Harris (London)
Italy: Minister for Children Norma Foley
Germany: Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill
Poland, Ukraine and Moldova: Minister of State for European Affairs Thomas Byrne
Chile and Argentina: Minister for Education Hildegarde Naughton
Australia: Minister for Further Education James Lawless (Canberra, Melbourne and Sydney), Minister of State Kevin “Boxer” Moran (Perth, Brisbane, Adelaide)
Nigeria and Senegal: Minister for Public Expenditure Jack Chambers
Brazil: Minister for Climate Darragh O’Brien
Japan and Korea: Minister of State Seán Canney
South Africa, Mozambique and Jordan: Minister of State Neale Richmond
