We must utilise our status as 51st state of US

The greening of the world last weekend was quite extraordinary to behold. I witnessed some of it first hand in a very chaotic New York and was astounded by the whole ‘Irish thing’ that has virtually every nationality in the city wearing green.

On a recent study trip in Boston and North Carolina, I was also very struck by the very positive vibes towards Ireland, and these vibes are not just lip service — they are actually backed up by massive US investment in Ireland. Perhaps when this whole eurozone crisis is over and when some semblance of health and independence are restored to Ireland, we might just start a national debate about our status as the 51st state of the US. I have never encountered such positive vibes towards Ireland in Paris or Frankfurt. That is worth reflecting on.

Having said all of that, it is quite incredible that a small island off the west coast of Europe with a population akin to a small US city could have such an impact on the global stage. For a country that is going through such a traumatic period and that is so full of anger and self-doubt at the moment, the position we occupy on the world stage should give some crumbs of comfort, provided we exploit the potential that it offers to the greatest extent possible.