Feted Taoiseach settling in well on Capitol Hill

It had been a hectic day, which had begun more than 12 hours earlier for Enda Kenny.

By the time he took to the podium at the swanky Willard Hotel at the Irish embassy reception, he was running on empty.

Whether it was deliberate or merely a case of the mask slipping, Mr Kenny quipped that given how well he was treated here in Washington DC, he wasn’t that keen to go home.

“Bejaysus, I wish I didn’t have to go back and face what I have to face,” he said.

Speaking about his recent losing of the election, Mr Kenny said the verdict of the electorate was complex but he said he respected it.

The crowd of several hundred people responded warmly to what appeared to be an honest statement from a political leader. It has caught attention for several reasons.

Firstly, it has echoes of his whingers comments in Castlebar, Co Mayo, on the weekend before the election, which he eventually had to disown. It had a ring of “woe is me” about it which never goes down well in politics.

Secondly, Kenny is outrageously controlled by his team and such comments are rare, because they tend to get him into trouble.

It was in one way a welcome example of how personable and engaging Mr Kenny can be.

An honest man speaking honestly, free of jargon or complicated economic gobbledygook.

The toll of the election loss certainly showed in his demeanour throughout his visit, despite his best efforts to look spry.

With Mr Kenny safely departed for home, it was left to Charlie Flanagan to carry the flag for Ireland. What did he think of his the comments of his boss?

“I was present when the Taoiseach made a lighthearted comment and I’m disappointed that his comment has [been] misinterpreted [and] misunderstood,” he told reporters.

While he was disappointed about one story, Mr Flanagan was not willing to share his views on the failure of the White House to admit the ‘West Belfast One’ to the Shamrock ceremony.

Gerry Adams was in full outrage mode yesterday over the embarrassing episode which saw him blocked from entering the building, while Mary Lou McDonald and Martin McGuinness were allowed to join the party.

In a statement, describing the episode as a “controversy”, Mr Adams accused some in the Obama administration of wanting to treat Sinn Féin differently to other political parties.

Mr Adams went as far as to invoke civil rights icon Rosa Parks, by saying that he and Sinn Féin “will not sit at the back of the bus for anyone”.

“We are elected to represent citizens and we will do this. I am hopeful that the controversy around my White House invitation will help lead to a resolution of all these matters,” he said.