Dr. Peter Rigney:

He was, but those who had no coal, no tea, no rubber and no petrol might not have thought so. We have to acknowledge that things do not always turn out for the best, and so we have to make plans.

I want to talk more forming alliances for the future. This is a new phase in Irish foreign policy and probably the biggest wrench since we decided, some time in the mid-1950s, to go into the EEC. There are big challenges. In fairness, the work of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has seen us well; it has proved its worth. As an outsider, there was a downgrading of the status of the Department up to the time of the Brexit decision and then it was rapidly ramped-up again. It has done us proud to get us to the situation we are in. The one worry I have is this. There is an understanding in Brussels of our situation but there is a growing sense of tiredness with Britain; it is almost as though people are asking why they are still there. At events on mainland Europe, a lot of the time people are talking about other things. That is a worry.