Paul Hosford: With so much to balance, Martin’s White House visit will be a high-wire act for the ages

Like many who sit next to Mr Trump as he bloviates, there is a risk of the Taoiseach seeming like a bystander, watching on as Mr Trump bounces from issue to issue

Micheál Martin’s skills will be tested at the White House this year as he navigates the fine line of Irish foreign policy. Picture: Niall Carson/PA 

It was a little over six years ago now when Leo Varadkar looked into a camera and told the nation he needed to speak to us about coronavirus.

Just days removed from the Government cancellation of the St Patrick’s Day parade, it is easy to forget that Mr Varadkar’s grim prognosis was delivered not from Government Buildings, but from the steps of Blair House, the US president’s guest house, ahead of a meeting with Donald Trump.