McCartney women call the shots and Sinn Féin goes on the run

IN fairness to US President George W Bush, he has shown more interest in Ireland than any of his predecessors with the sole exception of Bill Clinton.

That includes Jack Kennedy, who visited this country only once as president, whereas Bush had already made a couple of visits. Maybe he was trying to get the political kudos at home by helping the peace process, but he would have deserved any credit he got for helping the Good Friday agreement. He certainly deserves credit for trying.

There was no doubt from the American standpoint that the big Irish news of the week was the visit of the late Robert McCartney's sisters and partner. At this time of year the Americans are always looking for fresh news about Ireland, and the McCartneys' visit was a novel event. Of course, they weren't the first Irish women to create a bit of a sensation in the US over the Northern Ireland issue.