Taoiseach: Calls to scrap White House visit 'developed out of nothing on social media' 

Micheál Martin said no decision had made on traditional St Patrick's Day trip to Washington but any arrangement would be made in the context of the Covid situation

Taoiseach Micheál Martin insisted that no decisions have been made yet on whether he will travel to Washington next month but that whatever is agreed will be done in terms of what’s best in the wider context of the Covid-19 situation.

The Taoiseach has described mounting calls for him to scrap the annual St Patrick’s Day White House visit as a campaign which developed out of nothing on social media.

Micheál Martin insisted no decisions had been made yet on whether he will travel to Washington next month but that whatever is agreed will be done in terms of what’s best in the wider context of the Covid-19 situation.

And he said there would be engagement between the US and Irish sides over the coming weeks on how best to mark the event.

In an interview with Neil Prendeville on Cork’s RedFM this morning, Mr Martin pointed to the very close and important economic, social and cultural relationship between Ireland and the US, and said the annual St Patrick’s Day White House visit was so much more than a photo op.

“It’s not just about a bowl of shamrock – symbolic and all as that is. It’s about putting more substance into the relationship,” he said.

“There are over 114,000 jobs directly employed by US companies in Ireland and Irish companies employ about 90,000 people in America.

Most governments would give their right arm to have the type of opportunities that we normally and ordinarily would have around St Patrick’s Day.

“But because of Covid-19 that creates a context so there will be engagement over the next number of weeks but no firm decision has been made one way or the other. But we will mark St Patrick’s Day in some shape."

The Taoiseach said when he spoke to President Joe Biden shortly after his election and extended an invitation to him to visit Ireland, Mr Biden said we should be trying to keep him out.

Micheál Martin said he was determined that Ireland would forge a very good relationship with President Biden. Picture: AP /Evan Vucci

He said the debate about a possible visit to the White House on March 17 “seemed to emerge out of nowhere” because he hadn’t indicated whether he would be travelling to Washington, and Ireland has been very tentative about the arrangements because of Covid-19.

“I certainly didn’t initiate any commentary on it. And that in itself is interesting – the way politics has developed in recent times. Social media campaigns have developed around issues of this kind,” he said.

He also rejected criticism that it appears to be one rule on international travel for the general public and another rule for politicians.

I haven’t been travelling at all. But I happen to be Taoiseach of the country and anything I do in a travel context is for the country. It is not about me personally. 

"For example, the next EU Council meeting on February 25 is going to be a video conference,” he said.

But he said he was determined that Ireland would forge a very good relationship with President Biden.

“We want to forge a very good, positive, constructive relationship with the president, not just in the context of March 17 but in terms of real issues, the economic relationship, the relationship between the US and Europe, because it has gone through a very rocky phase during the Donald Trump presidency,” he said.

“And President Biden has a good and significant Irish-American input into his team and I think we can open up areas of joint initiatives on some fronts which I would be interested in doing.”