Taoiseach Micheál Martin starts his St Patrick’s Day trip to Washington DC today with a series of events in the US Capitol.
His programme today will focus on tourist and cultural links with the USA.
It’s the first time since the start of the Covid pandemic there has been in-person celebration of St Patrick’s Day here and with a US President unashamedly proud of his Irish heritage.
This morning the Taoiseach will address the traveling media before unveiling a bust of John Hume at the residence of the Irish ambassador.
This evening he’s attending a gala dinner put on by Tourism Ireland, typically used to press the flesh with Irish business in the States.
After that he’ll attend the opening night of the Riverdance 25th anniversary show, something also delayed by the pandemic.
A number of Oireachtas members have also traveled to Ireland, meeting US counterparts last night.
But amid the usually gladhandling the war in Ukraine will overshadow events here and while the links between Ireland and the US are being celebrated, it’s in the context of how they’ll be needed in the weeks and months to come as sanctions bite and rockets continue to be fired.
