Irish Examiner view: Oval Office visit is Ireland’s chance to build bridges

Rebuilding diplomatic relations with Israel via the powerful Jewish community in the US is among the work Ireland could do this week

Taoiseach Micheál Martin speaking to the media at the JW Marriott Hotel in Austin, Texas, during his US trip ahead of St Patrick's Day. On Wednesday he will visit president Donald Trump at the Oval Office in the White House. Niall Carson/PA

The one thing Taoiseach Micheál Martin has not been short of ahead of his visit to Donald Trump in the White House on Wednesday, is advice. Advice on how to behave, how to comport himself, how to stiffen his back if faced with any broadsides, and how to make sure he looks the US president in the eye.

Experts from many fields of endeavour, many of which have little to do with the complex world of international geopolitics, global economies, or even simple diplomacy, have all voiced their tuppence worth.