Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Like others, we were unsure of the timing of the visit. It had been postponed because of the situation in Syria and our visit occurred immediately after the Republicans were forced to agree to a temporary budget. Many of the Republicans in Congress appeared to be quite raw about that decision and how it was rolled out.

Other members of the delegation can speak for themselves but I was quite optimistic returning from the visit. We went over not knowing the potential but we returned with the feeling that it was still there to be won. It is wide open with regard to the lobby and I am quite optimistic we can push this across the line. I have been involved on this when there were great expectations that it would happen at the time, but it did not. If people are listening to this at home, they are probably wondering if they will be told again there is potential, only to have their hopes dashed. It makes sense, so logic is on our side.

President Obama said there is the time to do it. I do not know if his speech when we were there helped the situation. I expressed my view to some of the Democrats and his officials that if he would stay out of it, it might help the situation. Across the board, however, the people we met want a deal to happen. I was struck when one Republican congressman said to me: "If something is on the table, I can argue for or against it, but there is nothing there. It is a vacuum. I cannot go back to my constituency and argue one way or the other." People genuinely want it to happen. We have many friends there.

It was definitely a worthwhile trip. It involved many meetings but one could see we were having an impact. I concur with the Chairman about the work of the embassy.

The ambassador has really taken on the issue. While she is not long in her appointment, there has been nothing but praise for her work from Congressmen and the different emigrant groups. Politicians want to hear that our embassy staff are working on the ground and that everyone has his or her shoulder to the wheel. Many were telling us to keep it up and encourage people to use the contacts and lobbies available.