Castro's Shannon stopover created headache for Irish diplomats

The famous Cuban revolutionary landed at Shannon Airport for a short stopover on November 17, 1982, as he was returning home from attending the state funeral for the late Soviet president, Leonid Brezhnev, in Moscow.

A stopover by Cuban leader Fidel Castro at Shannon Airport more than 40 years ago created a potential headache for Irish diplomats who were fearful the prospect of improved trade between Ireland and Cuba could hamper Irish-American relations.

The famous Cuban revolutionary landed at Shannon Airport for a short stopover on November 17, 1982, as he was returning home from attending the state funeral for the late Soviet president, Leonid Brezhnev, in Moscow.

During his brief time in Shannon while his Aeroflot flight was refuelling, Castro praised the quality of Irish goods which he had sampled in the airport building, which led to speculation about trade relations between the two countries.

He also met with then junior Finance Minister, Sylvester Barrett at the airport.

A lack of detail about what actually was said by the Cuban leader created a flurry of activity among officials in the Department of Foreign Affairs anxious to establish what had transpired.

A subsequent memo noted that Castro had “expressed an interest in the development of trade between Ireland and Cuba and suggested the visit to Cuba of an Irish trade mission.”

Democratic Left TD, Prionsias de Rossa, subsequently raised Castro’s visit in the Dáil in January 1983 and asked what steps were being taken to advance trade between Ireland and Cuba.

The parliamentary question and growing media attention sent officials back to check again about the precise nature of what happened with Castro in Shannon two months earlier.

One official in the Department of Finance recorded: “The Minister of State met the President’s party as a courtesy —- and no formal talks took place whatsoever.”

The official also explained that when president Castro raised the prospect of Irish-Cuban trade “the Minister of State responded in a non-committal manner.”

Irish diplomats were conscious that the US had placed major economic embargos on trade with Cuba since 1962 and was also fearful of having a communist state with close ties to the Soviet Union close to its territory as well as the role of the US in foreign direct investment in Ireland.