Colum McCann
Novelist
Much as it pains me to say it, I will say what most people will say, which is to say: “Whatever you say, say nothing.” And then whatever you hear, hear it carefully, and then pretend like you have never heard it at all. If there is to be any sort of trinity in these unholy days, let it be silence, guile and cunning.
Kevin O’Malley
Former US ambassador to Ireland
The Taoiseach doesn’t need advice from me. I have worked with him closely and know that he will represent Ireland well on this global stage. But if he were to ask ... I would gently add somewhere in my remarks that 30 million American voters affirmatively and proudly claim Irish ancestry of some degree – our connections are deep and personal. Reminding the US president, Donald Trump, of some history, I might mention that the United States played a leading role in propelling Ireland from its protectionist, tariff-driven past to its current vibrant, global economy that is now repaying America’s help by becoming the fifth-largest source of direct foreign investment into the US economy – not bad for a small country that is only one half the size of my native Missouri.
Finally, I might mention one of Ireland’s greatest examples of improved international relations. With some help from its friends, Ireland was able to put to rest years of violence, division, and death by discussing her differences and compromising with her adversaries – discussion over destruction. Even though the Irish people and America’s current leadership have different views on some important issues, we are connected in DNA, massive commerce, and problem resolution. Long may our deep ties continue.
Madeleine Johansson
Councillor
Firstly, going to the White House with a bowl of shamrock for warmonger Trump sends the message that Irish people agree with, or at least tolerate, the illegal war by the US and Israel. Not only should the Taoiseach not go, but he should also stop the use of Shannon Airport by the US military. I know that he won’t do that. Not because of his personal disposition or views, but because the Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael Government represent Ireland’s capitalist class.
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For the Irish rich, imperialism and war is necessary to preserve their interests. Irish companies have their tentacles spread all over the globe where they employ (and exploit) thousands of workers. I have no faith that Micheál Martin will represent Irish workers when he goes to meet Trump. Only when workers are in the driving seat of a planned economy can we stand up to Trump and US imperialism.
[ Micheál Martin confirms St Patrick’s Day invite from Donald Trump to White HouseOpens in new window ]
Michael Brendan Dougherty
Writer
Just lie back and think of Ireland. Remember, it’s a fun day on the calendar for the White House, where speechwriters are revelling in stereotypes. Yes, these are wearing thin on Irish sensitivities but they’re offered with genuine warmth on our side. If Trump goes off script and brings up the tax issue, don’t cringe, but deflect: “Ah, the president knows us well, we negotiate over a friendly drink not in press conferences.” If Vance starts needling on free speech, don’t get sucked into a debate about legislation or social media, just refer to the irrepressibility of Irish voices.
Save the foreign policy disputes for the closed-door meeting with legislators, not the cameras. Or get into the recent White House spirit and get wild. If America is taking Greenland, jump in and make Ireland’s claim for Rockall. We won’t remember. Outrages have no shelf life in America any more; we take them fresh daily.
Anne Anderson
Former Irish ambassador to the US, France, the UN and the EU
Think medium to long term; think European as well as Irish. In the short term, it may seem enough to get in and out unscathed. With a bit of distance, what will matter is that the integrity and values of Irish foreign policy are not compromised. The tone can be carefully chosen but some things need to be clearly said. Foremost among these is Ireland’s bedrock and non-selective attachment to international law, including the UN Charter. That needs to condition all our comments on Iran. It also provides context for pressing other points – advocacy for Ukraine; continuing concern for Gaza; criticism of what is being allowed happen on the West Bank.
Our upcoming EU presidency confers its own responsibilities. While we cannot conjure up a European coherence on Iran that does not exist, we need to assert Europe’s relevance: its huge exposure to risk and vital stake in the outcome.
Fintan O’Toole
Journalist
For a small country dependent on the American economy, there is no safe way to deal with Trump. Look how he turned on Keir Starmer: sycophancy is just an invitation to further bullying.
The nearest thing we have to safety is consistency. Ireland stands for international law – full stop. Start making exceptions or making excuses and we will be sunk. Being mealy mouthed is actually more dangerous for us than being clear and constant.
[ Taoiseach must make most of St Patrick’s Day visit to White HouseOpens in new window ]
Micheál Martin should go to the White House. But when Trump starts ranting for the cameras about his glorious war, the Taoiseach should very calmly and politely say: “We deplore the abuses of human rights perpetrated by the Iranian regime and we support the people of Iran in their struggle for democracy and human rights. We equally support international law and we do not believe any country has the right to declare war on another or bring about regime change through external violence.”
If Trump threatens him in front of the cameras, he will be more popular in Ireland than he has ever been before.
Gerard Howlin
Public affairs adviser
Martin should go, talk golf and lean into his Oscar-winning capacity to seem unthreatening – which he’s not. For extra obsequiousness, complimenting the naff decor in the Oval Office works. This is not a meeting; it is a performance. The Taoiseach is an extra who should not make the mistake of pulling focus away from the impresario and star. Catastrophising Trump is a mistake because he remains vulnerable politically in the US. Standing up to him at the wrong time would be stupid. An Irish Taoiseach has none of the economic distance of a Spanish prime minister.
Sinéad O’Sullivan
Economist and strategist
Taoiseach, the debate about whether you should go, what you should say, or how firm you should stand rests on the premise that Ireland has a choice. But it doesn’t, because the US-Ireland relationship is not between equals, and everyone in the room will understand that.
So my advice is less about March 17th than about what comes after. Ireland’s exposure to American political volatility on trade, on tax and on tech is something we built ourselves, in better times, when it felt like a reasonable bet. The shamrock bowl is therefore more than a diplomatic ritual; today, it is a reminder of how much we depend on the goodwill of a single relationship. That dependence was a choice. And choices, unlike geography or history, can be changed. Go to Washington, Micheál. Be warm, be gracious, and be everything the occasion demands. But come home with a mandate to build an economy that gives your successors something you don’t have: options.
Daniel Mulhall
Former Irish ambassador to the US
Trump likes to be liked by his counterparts and likes to like them. His politics are personal, not ideological. He once told me “I like Leo [Varadkar], he’s a great guy.” In truth, I doubt they had much in common, but they got along. The point of meeting him is to build a personal rapport that can help keep our enormous transatlantic interests intact. Far bigger countries than us have decided to ride out the next three years and hope for calmer times ahead.
[ Micheál Martin must strike right balance on nerve-racking Washington assignmentOpens in new window ]
Giving Trump a dressing down on the need to adhere to international law would risk significant pain for no gain. He would not listen but could well hit back at our economy. The Taoiseach should stick to our refrain, drawing attention to the scale of Irish investment in the US and the number of Americans employed by our firms. He should recall also the importance of the Irish contribution to America over the past 250 years. That will go down well. On Iran, the Taoiseach could highlight the need to minimise civilian casualties and to ensure that Iran emerges from this war as a viable country and not a disastrous failed state. And, last but not least, mention Doonbeg.
Ivana Bacik
TD
Martin should not attend the shamrock bowl ceremony. In going to the White House, he is engaging in an act of appeasement, genuflecting before an utterly dangerous, destructive and volatile US president. Trump has initiated illegal war, threatened invasion of Greenland, torn up international laws, aid programmes and climate treaties, brought armed militias on to American streets and weaponised tariffs against sovereign governments worldwide.
Trump’s authoritarian rule has created a creeping fascism, eroding the rule of law and democratic values. We should not placate this president with plastic-Paddy pageantry, not while US bombs kill Iranian children. At the very least, the Taoiseach should express solidarity with the Spanish prime minister in speaking out strongly against Trump’s actions. Ireland has a proud history of respect for the UN and the international rules-based order. In representing the Irish people, the Taoiseach must use this visit to condemn Trump’s illegal war.
Bobby McDonagh
Former Irish ambassador to Italy
Martin will have to hold his nose, his nerve and, to a significant extent, his tongue. He should aim, insofar as circumstances allow, to advance both Ireland’s interests and Ireland’s values. To ignore either of those objectives, as some might wish, would be to do the Irish people a disservice. It is a difficult balancing act.
Ireland’s interests include playing our part in preserving the EU-US relationship, defusing the risk of further trade confrontation, and maintaining as constructive a relationship as possible with the US despite the Trump regime’s appalling behaviour at home and abroad.
The simultaneous projection of our values means recalling, when the Taoiseach can get a word in edgeways, perhaps more in private than in public, without hectoring or confrontation, our attachment to international law, to the rights of Palestinians, to the defence of Ukraine and our hope for an early end to the Iran war.
Daniel Geary
Historian
Diplomacy dictates that Martin trade pleasantries with the American president. Standing up to Trump would have little impact while potentially doing a lot of damage to the Irish economy, which is beholden to Trump’s whims. And yet this is a president who wages an illegal and destructive war on Iran with no discernible aim, who has detained over 70,000 including several Irish citizens in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) facilities under hellish and poorly monitored conditions, who has deployed Ice thugs to the streets of American cities leading to two murders in Minneapolis, who threatens the foundations of American democracy, and who seeks to spread his toxic brand of politics across the Atlantic. If now isn’t the time to speak up, then when is?
It’s not Martin’s fault that he has to humiliate himself by staying silent on these issues. But does he have any long-term plan to reduce Irish dependence on the US when it is moving so rapidly to the right?
Ted Smyth
Former Irish diplomat and political adviser
First, Martin should make clear that the purpose of the shamrock ceremony is to celebrate all Irish Americans whose resilience, achievements, and political influence are celebrated every March, including by Ireland, which owes them a great debt, including for persuading the US government to oppose a new Irish Border post Brexit.
Second, Martin has an obligation to stand up for the international rule of law and the UN Charter. He must say that these are core principles for the Irish nation and people, and should apply to all areas of the world, including Iran, the West Bank and Ukraine.
Third, he must defend the EU regulation of internet platforms, making clear that this is not censorship but the necessary and moral regulation of platforms that make money by distributing AI-generated sexualised images of children and by promoting through its algorithms defamation and hate speech.
Finally, Martin must box clever in the Oval Office Celebrity Apprentice Show to avoid the mistake that the German chancellor Friedrich Merz made by not objecting to Trump’s attacks on Spain and on Keir Starmer. Remember that Trump respects strength and bullies weakness, and will not want to insult the Irish American vote with the midterm elections looming.
Alice Leahy
Homelessness campaigner
It can’t be all smiles and handshakes and a glass bowl of shamrock. We’re a small island but we’re a proud island and we have been an example to the world in how we brought peace to it. We fought for our freedom and so we should be free enough to speak out now and represent our culture, our people and the importance of peace.
I wouldn’t like to be in Martin’s shoes; I think it’s going to be very difficult. But the Taoiseach needs to remember he is not going on his own bat; he’s going representing Ireland. He is in a powerful position and he needs to remember how the ordinary people of Ireland are feeling about the world and he needs to represent that.
Diarmaid Ferriter
Historian
Given that the Taoiseach is presenting Trump with a bowl of shamrock, he should tell him about the 16th century poet Edmund Spenser, who was born in London and settled in Ireland in the 1570s, after which he held various official posts and sinecures.
In his A View of the Present State of Ireland, written in the 1590s, Spenser wrote of the impact of the wars in Munster: the province, which had been “a most rich and plentiful country, full of corn and cattle”, was so reduced by the results of war that the unfortunate inhabitants “if they found a plot of watercresses or shamrocks they flocked to it as to a feast”. Epic fury and scorched-earth tactics, he can remind the warmonger, result in death, desolation, famine and resentment that smoulders through the ages.
At that point, Martin should walk out with his head held high.
