Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 10, inclusive, together.

As part of my St. Patrick’s Day programme in the United States, I visited Austin and Washington DC. My programme in Washington included political, community and economic events. I was hosted at breakfast by the vice president and second lady and had a bilateral meeting with President Trump in the aftermath to celebrate the historic relationship between Ireland and the United States. I also participated in the ceremony and reception at which a bowl of shamrock is presented to the president.

My meeting with the president included discussions on strengthening our bilateral relations, including our strong economic relationship. We spoke about the depth of our historic partnership and our strong people-to-people links built on deep ancestral ties. I emphasised the two-way nature of the trade and investment links between Ireland and the US, pointing to the fact that there are 770 Irish companies in the US, supporting hundreds of thousands of jobs across every state. I also highlighted that Ireland is the sixth largest source of foreign investment in the United States, which is remarkable for a country of our size. I underlined Ireland’s wish to explore how we can further strengthen this relationship, including in areas such as cutting-edge technology.

I also updated the president on the current situation in Northern Ireland. I expressed appreciation for the continued role of the United State in supporting the peace process across our island. Northern Ireland is stable and we are investing heavily, both economically and politically, into strengthening our North-South relations. We also discussed global issues, including Russia’s ongoing war of aggression against Ukraine and, of course, the horrific situation in the Middle East. I welcomed the president’s commitment to bringing peace to Ukraine in his first days in office. I also reiterated the long-standing Irish support for a two-state solution in the Israel-Palestine conflict. Other political engagements included the speaker’s lunch on Capitol Hill, meetings with Speaker Johnson and the Congressional Friends of Ireland caucus, which includes members from both the Republican and Democratic parties. I presented President Trump with a crystal bowl of shamrock at the annual St. Patrick’s Day reception in the White House, continuing a decades-long tradition symbolising the friendship between our two countries. I also invited the president to visit Ireland again, noting the success of his investment in the village of Doonbeg.

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