The full Irish with Bill brings home the PR bacon
Dáil Sketch:We were only saying here yesterday that Enda is a great man for the name-dropping.
So it is to his credit that he managed to get through his Wednesday morning stint in the Dáil without mentioning the name of one of the richest men in the world.
But that would have been stealing the Tánaiste’s thunder.
And while the Taoiseach got that all-important courtesy call and photo with billionaire Bill Gates, it was Eamon Gilmore who got to have breakfast with him.
Bill seemed in good form afterwards. And why not? Despite all the bad press the domestic food industry has been receiving of late, you still can’t beat a full Irish.
And Eamon treated him to one in Iveagh House: sausages and puddin’ and top-notch rashers of the non-hairy variety. You wouldn’t get that in Silicon Valley.
The Tánaiste, by the way, ordered his with poached eggs. Bill Gates opted for scrambled. Obviously, had Enda been present, he would have looked for them sunny-side up.
The Microsoft founder had lots of good things to say about Ireland after his round of meetings in Dublin – he also paid a visit to Michael D in Áras an Uachtaráin.
Doubtless, Enda and Eamon will be hoping that the hugely influential Gates continues to talk us up on his travels around Europe.
It’s all good publicity, particularly as Bill sounded afterwards like a disciple of the gospel according to Kenny. The renowned philanthropist seems of the view that, despite our economic woes, Ireland is one the best small countries in the world in which to do business.
No wonder Enda had a pep in his step when he returned to Leinster House for Leaders’ Questions. The fact that David Cameron has decided to embark on a lengthy hokey-cokey around Britain’s future membership of the EU – in or out, shake it all about – could only have added to his good humour.
But it must be a trial nonetheless for the Taoiseach to have to abandon his International Man of Mayo jetsetting ways in order to attend to domestic matters in the Dáil.
The Opposition got to see him for a few hours before he had to leave for the World Economic Forum in Davos. Bill Gates was going there too.
Buoyed up
If Enda has any sense he will have taken a wrap-up under his arm to present to Bill when they meet again – the fixings of a full Irish fry to remind him of his time here.
