The Government is not often thanked for its hard work, but it was on Tuesday night when the President, Mrs McAleese, with her husband, hosted her third annual dinner for the Cabinet in Aras an Uachtarain. Everyone, except Brian Cowen, was there with their partners, from Bertie Ahern and Celia Larkin, to three newcomers - Minister for the Marine, Frank Fahey, AG Michael McDowell and the secretary to the Government, Dermot McCarthy. The Minister for Foreign Affairs was in Portugal for the EU/Latin America meeting.
The speeches were short. In her welcome address, the President said it was good to meet them all at this time of the year - with the millennium gala over and as they were settling down to the year's work. She thanked them for their efforts to date. The Taoiseach said they rarely received words of thanks, so they appreciated it, and he thanked her for her work in Ireland and in promoting our image abroad. Then they all sat down to a dinner of ostrich, no less.
Dr Martin McAleese returned the previous weekend from Honduras where he and a team of volunteers spent two weeks ministering to the local children near the Irish Army medical centre at Santa Rosa de Aguan. When he visited with his wife after Hurricane Mitch he had been struck by their need, and the fact that the local sugar cane had done great damage to their teeth. Dr McAleese dealt with up to 50 dental patients a day.
The President leaves on a State visit to Hungary in early April and will pay an official visit to Washington for an Irish art festival in May. Her main overseas trip this year will be to several countries in the Middle East in November.