Only hours after presenting the new face of Northern Ireland to corporate America in a Manhattan Hotel on Wednesday, First Minister David Trimble was at the centre of an embarrassing situation at the annual ball of the Ireland Chamber of Congress.
Mr Trimble and Mr Seamus Mallon, Deputy First Minister, were guests at the event in the Waldorf Hotel, hosted by an organisation headed by Dr Michael Smurfit. They are leading a delegation in the US to launch the Northern Ireland Industrial Development Board's North American investment tour. Mr Trimble, apparently after being informed that the British national anthem, God Save The Queen, would not be played, remained in his suite during the opening ceremonies. According to one source, the ball was delayed for half an hour while Mr Trimble's reservations were considered.
Traditionally, the only anthems played at the opening of the event are the Irish and American national anthems, Amhran na bFhiann, and The Star-Spangled Banner.
One source told The Irish Times last night that Mr Trimble had expressed deep unease at being seen to stand in the ballroom for the Irish national anthem when God Save the Queen was not to be played.
Mr Trimble and Mr Mallon represent the political leadership on the 11-city tour which is aimed at luring US economic investment to Northern Ireland in the wake of the Belfast Agreement.