Enda Kenny walks into Fine Gael-force storm

It will be no surprise that Taoiseach Enda Kenny was wandering into the middle of a damaging, life-threatening storm this week. 

It’s just the literal interpretation that caught everyone off guard.

Mr Kenny and his entourage of handlers and hangers-on were yesterday forced to abandon carefully crafted plans to promote the Irish economy, fight the EU fight against Brexit, and seek immigration reforms, by our country’s long-standing, devious arch nemesis — The weather.

Just hours after touching down in Boston from Philadelphia as part of a five-city, week-long visit to the US at a time when Brexit, Donald Trump’s divisive travel ban, and disputed claims of phone-tapping against predecessor Barack Obama were whipping up a worldwide storm, Mr Kenny was himself battling against the elements in the most Irish of US cities.

A five-state-wide blizzard, threatened in recent days, was descending on the US north east. And not just any blizzard, with 22in of snow, the dangerous phenomenon called “thunder-snow” and up to 14 million people told by authorities to stay indoors due to “historic and life-threatening” conditions outside.

The unavoidable maelstrom which is threatening to more than just rain on Mr Kenny’s St Patrick’s week parade led to the cancellation of a John F Kennedy commemoration event, alongside vital meetings with Boston businesses this morning and a key Norwegian Airlines announcement in Rhode Island this afternoon as Mr Kenny was — not for the first time this year — urged to leave, quickly.

And while most people will be using the new-found extra time to stay safe indoors, for the Taoiseach the sudden schedule changes are all because he now must face down another trio of frightening storms that risk causing as much damage as what is ravaging the US outside.

Having left Boston early to ensure meetings tomorrow and Thursday with US vice-president Mike Pence and President Trump — a literal orange weather warning if ever there was one — still take place, Mr Kenny now has the joy of Brexit, travel bans, and illegal immigration rows with which to contend.

Mr Kenny will arrive at the White House on Thursday as Britain’s prime minister prepares to trigger Brexit, and just 24 hours before German chancellor Angela Merkel is due to meet her own nemesis Mr Trump at the White House after another weather delay.

He will sit down that same day with the controversial president within hours of the divisive travel ban coming into force.

And, with a clear call from Boston mayor and “proud” Irish-American Marty Walsh to stand up for all illegal immigrants not just the Irish, still ringing in his ears, he will speak with both Mr Pence and Mr Trump on an issue key to their own political campaigns.

Three storms, all bearing down at the same time. In hindsight, maybe the ‘stranded in Boston’ alternative of 22in blizzards, “thunder-snow” and a nation in lock-down due to the life-threatening elements outside wasn’t so bad after all.