Enda Kenny was always well received when he went to the States as Taoiseach. He had this folksy Irish way with the Americans, which frequently mortified members of the visiting press pack but always charmed his hosts.
When Simon Harris flew to Washington this week for a crunch meeting with US commerce secretary, Howard Lutnick, he put into practice what he learned from Enda: how it is very important to try to strike a human connection even if you are not in agreement.
Given Lutnick’s alarmingly combative comments of late about Ireland’s tax regime as he casts a covetous eye over those vast profits US companies make here, there were fears that Tánaiste Harris might be in for a bit of a mauling from the veteran Wall Street operator.
The pair had a telephone conversation a couple of weeks ago where they exchanged views on trade policy and the transatlantic economic partnership. They agreed to keep in close contact and hoped to meet soon in person.
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All very nice and bland but it didn’t assuage fears on this side of the pond over Lutnick and his long-time pal Donald Trump’s designs on Ireland’s tech, pharma and food billions.
But also in that conversation, Simon mentioned to Howard that he knew about the time he met Enda Kenny in Davos and how well they got on with each other.
It’s on the record. At the World Economic Forum in 2013, the then chief executive of financial services giant Cantor Fitzgerald told Fox News how he thought Dublin was a “great city”, which offered great education and a friendly environment.
“They have done a great job coming back from the bailout and the way they are doing it is jobs, jobs, jobs,” he said.
When asked what was the “most interesting conversation” he had since arriving, he replied: “So last night I met the Taoiseach, which I only learned this trip is the Irish word for the prime minister of Ireland. And what I thought was really interesting was that he was very focused on business. He came here and his whole group is here to say: ‘we are open for business’.
“Here was Ireland, focused on trying to bring jobs in, to try to get his young people jobs. He was focused on building. I thought that was just refreshing.”
The financier had just acquired Dolmen Securities, which is now Cantor Fitzgerald Ireland, so he was feeling good about the country back then.
At the time, the then Taoiseach sympathised with the business titan on the loss of his younger brother Gary, who died in the World Trade Center 9/11 attacks in 2001. Later that year, while in New York for St Patrick’s Day, Enda placed an Irish flag in Gary’s name at the 9/11 Memorial Museum. Howard’s sister Edie accompanied him.
And this week, before their meeting began, Simon Harris reminded Howard Lutnick of that visit and privately presented the commerce secretary with a framed photograph of the moment at the memorial.
The two were due to meet at about 5pm Irish time on Wednesday. After it, the plan was that the Tánaiste would go live to David McCullagh on RTÉ’s Six-One news and reveal how the talks went.
But things didn’t go to plan.
The meeting was delayed.
What the Irish side didn’t know was that Lutnick was detained in the White House because Trump was doing a reverse ferret on his plan to hit most of the world with punitive tariffs.
Instead, Simon spoke to RTÉ standing in front of Capitol Hill. He talked about the importance of keeping up negotiations while David remarked there didn’t seem much sign of willingness to negotiate from Trump.
And moments later, McCullagh broke the news that Trump was now pausing the tariffs for 90 days.
After the interview, the Tánaiste was driven at speed to The Waldorf Astoria Hotel (formerly owned by Trump) as it was nearer the White House. The meeting had been due to happen in the commerce secretary’s office.
The Irish contingent arrived just before Secretary Lutnick bustled in from the White House, apologising profusely for the delay.
The meeting lasted about 50 minutes. The atmosphere and tone was not what might have been expected. There was a more substantive conversation because the pause afforded both parties breathing space and a chance to discuss how the situation and negotiations can be taken forward.
As the first European in the room since the announcement from Trump, the meeting became something of an information gathering exercise. The first person Simon Harris rang when he left the room was the EU Commissioner for Trade.
He was back in Ireland on Thursday for Charlie Flanagan’s retirement do and then in Roscommon yesterday for a round of engagements.
Oh, the glamour.
Two points, two fingers
Taoiseach Micheál Martin wore a smile as wide as the Jack Lynch tunnel last Sunday when Cork captured the National League hurling title for the first time since 1998.
The same can’t be said for his Coalition’s numero uno supporter who was also in the Ard Comhairle seating area, but sitting further back.
The game won’t have been such a pleasant experience for Regional Independent and Government kingmaker Michael Lowry as his native Tipperary went down to the Rebels by a hefty 11-point margin.
The atmosphere in the GAA’s VIP enclosure, with its assortment of elected representatives, office-holders and local worthies is usually a little more restrained than in the rest of the stadium.
The Premier County trailed by 13 points at the end of the first half, but flagging Tipp spirits revived a little when their team posted two points in quick succession at the start of the second. It gave hollering fans a glimmer of hope.
But then Cork hit back immediately with two points, much to the delight of a couple of dyed-in-the-wool Cork aul’ fellas sitting near the controversial TD for Tipperary North.
When the cheering died down they both turned around, shouted “Hey, Lowry – TWO points!” and showily shoved two fingers up in the air at him.
There was, we hear, “significant laughter” in the general vicinity.
Why would that have been?
Would there be a photograph knocking around which might shed some light on this unusual occurrence?
Lambs and luminaries
A host of Fine Gael luminaries past and present joined 250 party stalwarts in Portlaoise on Thursday night for a special event marking the retirement of former minister Charlie Flanagan after 33 years in politics.
Tánaiste and party leader Simon Harris arrived straight off his flight from Washington DC for the beef or salmon dinner washed down by a clatter of speeches. Many of Charlie’s similarly retired former Cabinet colleagues attended including Richard Bruton, Michael Creed, James Reilly, Paul Kehoe, Andrew Doyle and former party leader Alan Dukes, while the Minister for Enterprise, Peter Burke, tipped across from Westmeath and Seanad leader, Sean Kyne, flew the flag for the Upper House.
MEP Nina Carberry attended along with former MEP and EU commissioner, Mairead McGuinness.
While the Tánaiste worked the room with his usual vigour and speed, it did not go unnoticed that Mairead, the party’s prospective presidential election candidate, outdid him on both fronts.
The occasion was hosted by the Laois constituency executive but a large contingent from Offaly was also present as Charlie was TD for Laois-Offaly until the counties went solo at the last general election.
“It took two TDs to replace him,” said Simon, who presented Charlie with a rare 1856 copy of The History of the Queen’s County by Daniel O’Byrne. John Clendennen, who now holds the Offaly seat, was there with Charlie’s successor in Laois, farmer Willie Aird, or Fine Gael’s “overnight success” as Simon called him.
A long-serving councillor, Willie was first elected for Fine Gael in 1979, six years before the Tánaiste was born.
Deputy Aird goes back a long way with the Flanagan family.
He told guests he was only a young lad when Charlie’s father, the high-profile politician Oliver J Flanagan, called to his house. Willie was in the warm kitchen with his pet lamb – the poor little thing couldn’t stand up.
So Charlie’s father came over and patted it on the head. Lo and behold, but didn’t the lamb begin to stir?
Willie couldn’t believe it.
The lamb stood up.
And violently headbutted Oliver J.
Willie said he’s been locking horns with the Flanagans ever since.
Netflix levy drama ramps up
An uneventful Fianna Fáil parliamentary party meeting this week sparked briefly into life when the Broadcasting (Amendment) Bill and Fine Gael Minister Patrick O’Donovan’s inclination not to impose the so-called “Netflix levy” on television streaming services came up for discussion.
If one were taking bets on which Coalition Minister would be in the middle of internecine conflict early on, odds on the bould Patrick would be very short.
On Sunday he said he thinks people are already paying enough for streaming services and doesn’t “see any reason to put a levy on them at the moment and charge them any more”.
He wants Cabinet to block the media commission’s proposal to impose the levy on international streaming platforms in Ireland to provide funding for home-produced programming.
Some Coalition colleagues were extremely put out by his “solo run” on the issue while a number Fianna Fáil TDs say that the minister came out with his proposal without consulting the party.
On Wednesday during a meeting between politicians and news organisations at Leinster House, Fianna Fáil TD Malcolm Bryne publicly criticised the Minister’s “disgraceful” mischaracterisation of the Bill, the principles of which had been agreed on an all-party basis in the last Dáil.
He revisited the issue later on at the parliamentary party meeting, but didn’t get much time to make his case.
Chief Whip, Mary Butler, vehemently disagreed with him.
“You’re wrong! You’re wrong! You’re wrong!” she shouted at poor Malcolm, and him with his arm in a sling after he was mugged for his phone in London.
Leinster House awaits with interest the next episode of Patrick’s Netflix and No Bill.
