European Enda poses for cameras with a gong and a grin

Like an Oscar-winning starlet, Enda clutched his golden statuette and smiled for the cameras. It might be brickbats at home, but the Taoiseach is the toast of Berlin.

Having bagged the title European of the Year on Thursday night, he featured as a cheeky page 2 boy in Germany’s biggest-selling newspaper yesterday.

Bild treated readers to an “Interview mit Enda Kenny (61) Irland’s Regierungschef”. And there’s Enda, leaning out a window at an alarming angle, with an impish grin on his face.

“This is how Ireland is tackling the euro crisis,” screams the main headline. And then, highlighted in a circle, the tabloid trumpets: “Look here, you Greek politicians!”

Enda received his prestigious Golden Victoria gong at a glittering ceremony during what was promised would be a star-studded evening.

In the end, we hear the usual suspects from the Berlin reception circuit made up the bulk of the audience. After Regierungschef Kenny received his award,the paparazzi shot dozens of photos of our starlet, while simultaneously trying to find out who he was. Somebody said: “Ian.” And so it began: “Ian! Ian! This way, Ian!”

They could have called him anything. Our much admired Regierungschef was happy out.