St Patrick’s Day political exodus shows our worth

’Tis that time of the year when a large segment of the political populous either absconds to Cheltenham or to the four corners of the globe to use the opportunity afforded by our national holiday to market Ireland to a very influential audience.

Par for the course, the very predictable critics are out complaining about the waste of money that these trips represent and the word ‘junket’ becomes very commonly used this time every year.

Such criticism is totally misdirected, in my view. Not too many countries get the opportunity to meet so many influential world leaders, and particularly the US President — whoever that might be — too often.