Christina Finn

AS MICHEÁL MARTIN touched down in Dublin, most likely happy enough that his visit with Donald Trump didn’t cause any diplomatic incidents, Simon Harris is picking up where the Taoiseach left off with a St Patrick’s Day visit stateside focusing on all things business. 

While the Tánaiste is probably also relieved that Ireland didn’t hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons after the White House visit, one would wonder if he’s not just a little bereft that the Taoiseach got such an easy ride when it came to his Oval Office visit. 

In autumn last year, Harris, as Taoiseach, met with President Joe Biden.

The war in Palestine was raging and the pressure on Harris to speak to Biden about the US providing arms to Israel was immense.

While he said he had no problem speaking truth to power, particularly to people such as Biden, who he classed as Ireland’s friend, he faced some criticism that he did not go far enough in his remarks to the US President. 

But it wasn’t just Harris. Six months previously Leo Varadkar also faced pressure from back home to speak up about Gaza.

At the time, he said he had to tailor his message to suit the American audience, stating that many in the US had a very different take on what was going on in Palestine. Varadkar did make many speeches on the matter though throughout his US visit. 

It is fair to say that both Fine Gael leaders were heavily criticised for perhaps not being as candid as some back home would have liked. Before they even set foot in Washington DC they also faced calls to boycott the St Patrick’s Day trip. 

Martin didn’t come in for the same level of scrutiny

This year, the level of scrutiny has not been the same for the Fianna Fáil leader. 

It is fair to say, the Trump administration is a very different ball game than that of Biden’s, who could probably be classed as one of the most Irish US presidents we have seen. 

The stakes are higher with Trump, there’s no doubt about that. 

The situation in Gaza has moved on somewhat, with hostages being exchanged and a ceasefire in place. However, the Taoiseach has previously said that it is when the violence stops that much of the hard work will have to begin.

But it is clear the focus on Martin’s trip was basically to get out unscathed, with no real pressure put to put his head above the parapet, especially when it came to US foreign policy.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin with US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House Tasos Katopodis / Government of Ireland Tasos Katopodis / Government of Ireland / Government of Ireland

The Taoiseach did manage to speak on the matter in front of Trump, after the US President was asked about Ireland’s Occupied Territories Bill. 

Martin complimented Trump, stating that he is very clued in to the situation in Palestine, adding that Ireland shares the US President’s “unrelenting focus on peace” and highlighting that in his first few days in office Trump went to get a ceasefire.

“We’ve been calling for a ceasefire for a long time. We want to consolidate the peace… that is our fundamental. And we want hostages out – I’ve been saying it from day one. It is a terrible thing to do, to take someone as a hostage,” said Martin, who told the media in the Oval Office that in the aftermath of 7 October he travelled to the Kibbutz at the centre of the attack, describing it as something that will never leave him. 

He called for the hostages to be released, for the ceasefire to be consolidated and for a surge in humanitarian aid into Gaza.

“There’s too many children and too many people starving. And it’s that humanitarian impulse that motivates the Irish,” said Martin, who also declared Ireland’s long-held view that there should be a two-state solution.

“It’s become much more challenging and difficult as time has moved on,” he added. 

Like Varadkar and Harris before him, he compared the idea of peace in Gaza with that of peace in Northern Ireland.

Martin and taoisigh before him have repeatedly made the point to US presidents that the peace in Northern Ireland is one of the America’s greatest foreign policy achievements. 

“We’ve been through some of this, people hating each other, terrible acts of violence carried out on each other. We came through it. It’s our earnest hope that Arab and Jewish people can live side by side,” said the Taoiseach. 

Unlike taoisigh that went before him into the Oval Office, Martin was facing a very different situation, one where the unpredictability of Trump would have been at the fore of the Taoiseach’s mind. 

Taoiseach Micheál Martin at the US Capitol Building with Speaker of the House of Representatives Mike Johnson as part of the annual St Patrick’s Day celebrations. Tasos Katopodis / Government of Ireland Tasos Katopodis / Government of Ireland / Government of Ireland

Earlier this week, he said his number one priority in the White House was to protect Irish jobs.

The calls to interject in US foreign policy were again, muted, with a much bigger focus on not poking the bear.

Talk of more tariffs

Despite his best efforts, Trump showed clearly that he has a dislike of Europe and mere hours after Martin left the shamrock ceremony, there was more talk of tariffs.

On the back of threats of tariffs on Irish whiskey, Harris will now pick up the mantle of protecting business back home, travelling to Philadelphia and New York this week.

The Tánaiste will hold a series of high-level political, Irish community and economic engagements in a bid to highlight the strength of Ireland’s mutually beneficial two-way economic relationship with the United States. 

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The main focus is on global multinationals and Irish companies “cutting their teeth in the US market”, he said. 

Much of Tuesday will be focused on economic engagements and he will speak at a business breakfast co-hosted by Bank of Ireland New York Hub and Digital Irish, where he will meet with a range of senior corporate decision makers.

Amongst those Harris will be meeting are Enterprise Ireland and IDA client companies, Irish innovators and the financial services sector.

“It is an important opportunity to highlight the mutually beneficial economic relationship between Ireland and the US,” he said. 

The Tánaiste will tour the recently renovated Irish Arts Centre, attend the traditional breakfast reception hosted by the New York City Mayor in Gracie Mansion before attending Mass at St Patrick’s Cathedral.

Harris will also be marching in the St Patrick’s Day parade along New York’s Fifth Avenue.

He will also join dignitaries including New York State Governor Kathy Hochul and attend a reception hosted by Ireland’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations.

The programme concludes with a Tourism Ireland event promoting the Ryder Cup, which is due to take place in Ireland in 2027. 

Upon his return from the US next week, Harris will take back his knowledge gleaned in the states, and convene a meeting of the Government Trade Forum to discuss recent developments in EU-US trade.

The Tánaiste has written to members of the trade forum in advance of his visit to the US this week. He will update the forum next week on his call earlier this week with Maros Sefcovic, the European Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security.

Harris said the call was an important opportunity to hear directly from the Commissioner on EU efforts to work with the US and plans for taking forward counter measures in response to US tariffs on steel and aluminium.

Before heading stateside, the Tánaiste met with officials to discuss the latest trade developments and his department is now coordinating work across government to consider recent developments and potential further developments in the weeks ahead. 

A lot will be riding on this business and trade charm offensive to shore up support for what could be challenging months ahead. 

Political Editor Christina Finn will be covering the Tánaiste’s St Patrick’s Day trip to New York. Stay with The Journal for all the latest updates