Irish Examiner view: Respect for the office of US president

'Mr Trump will not always be the US president, and the importance of Ireland’s access to the White House cannot be overstated. File picture: Robert F. Bukaty/AP

The visit of a US president to Ireland has traditionally meant celebration. From John F Kennedy’s historic visit in 1963 to Bill Clinton’s endorsement of the peace process by coming to Ireland in 1995, US presidents have been welcomed for generations. Many Irish people were critical of American foreign policy in the 1980s, but the opposition to then president Ronald Reagan’s visit to this country in 1984 was generally low-key.

The situation is quite different now with the arrival today of Donald Trump. There is widespread dismay at his visit, which coincides with the Irish Open golf tournament being played at the course he owns in Doonbeg, and not because of the associated security costs, though it has been estimated that gardaí will work 10,000 12-hour shifts between Friday and Sunday.

The unhappiness with this visit is because of what Mr Trump stands for — the cruelty, avarice, and ignorance which have been plain to see over the course of his administration. We have long since passed the point at which traditional norms and niceties have been upended by Mr Trump. Just this week, he said he would offer every adult American a payment of $5,000 — approximately €4,300 — if his Republican Party wins both chambers of Congress in November’s midterm elections, a plan that would cost over $1tn.

It may be a particularly challenging weekend for Micheál Martin, who will have to deal with Mr Trump directly. If he raises Irish concerns about the conflicts in Iran and Ukraine, for instance, there is no telling what Mr Trump’s response will be. His unpredictability is proverbial. The ceremonial visit to the Phoenix Park where he will also meet President Catherine Connolly is no less tricky. The President has been critical of Mr Trump in the past and their interactions will be closely monitored.

It is also worth pointing out that taking the long view is one of the basic necessities of international diplomacy. Mr Trump will not always be the US president, and the importance of Ireland’s access to the White House cannot be overstated. This may be a weekend of maintaining respect for the office of president while tolerating the current holder of that title.

O'Leary has gone too far this time 

Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary is no stranger to controversy and hit the headlines again this week for the language he used to criticise rival airlines.

Speaking to reporters at Ryanair headquarters Mr O’Leary said travellers were “desperate to get to Ryanair’s low fares because they can’t afford to fly with the high-fare rapists around Europe”, referring to the likes of Aer Lingus, Lufthansa, and British Airways.

Asked whether the language was appropriate, he said “absolutely”, and when asked whether it was offensive to victims of rape and sexual assault, he said he would “happily offend” the airlines concerned. Unsurprisingly, Mr O’Leary’s language has been criticised by Rachel Morrogh, the chief executive of Dublin Rape Crisis Centre, who said she would write to him and “offer him training on how the trivialisation of rape is so harmful”.

Mr O’Leary should not have used the language he did. Comparing the ticket prices of rival airlines to sexual crimes plays down the significance of rape and sexual assault and is undoubtedly triggering for victims of such crimes. If he does not withdraw the comments and apologise, he is contributing to a toxic environment which does not recognise the impact of such crimes.

It was notable that Tánaiste Simon Harris made a similar point, saying Mr O’Leary should listen to those who work “with survivors and victims of rape, sexual assault, sexual harassment in this country”.

“It is clearly an inappropriate use of language,” said Mr Harris. “I also think he knows exactly what he’s at. We’re all here talking about Ryanair. It is free advertisement.”

The Tánaiste is correct. Mr O’Leary is a savvy operator, a successful businessman who is well able to use the media, and the immediate consequence of his outburst earlier this week has been the prominence of his company’s name in the news cycle in recent days. But there is widespread agreement that this time he went too far.

Expensive Ireland 

The many Irish fans of Harry Styles were no doubt overjoyed this week to learn that the singer is to play two dates in Dublin next summer. He brings his Together, Together tour to Croke Park on August 18 and 20. Tickets go on sale this Monday. Expect the usual flood of complaints about the vagaries of the Ticketmaster website before lunchtime on Monday, not to mention the traditional outrage accompanying the hike in hotel prices for those nights.

On that note, there were some interesting comparisons on Styles’ own website of ticket prices for next year’s tour, alongside a commitment not to engage in dynamic ticket pricing, a controversial practice which often sees tickets become prohibitively expensive.

The website states that artists can only set face value prices and offers those prices for each concert and then shows the price customers will actually pay, which includes venue fees and taxes.

For example, the cheapest general access tickets for Dublin are €126 at the artist-set price, but fans will actually pay €142 with venue fees and taxes. In Rome, however, the cheapest general access tickets (artist-set price) is €86, which rises to €99 with fees and taxes.

This raises a question. Why are ticket prices so high in Ireland compared with other countries — and so much higher again when additional fees are added?

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