Would Donald Trump invite Irish politicians to the White House for the traditional St Patrick’s Day visit this year? It’s a question that has been asked many times in Ireland in the past few weeks.
It’s a tradition which began in 1952 but in the decades since it has grown in stature to become the most important Irish diplomatic moment of the year.
With the invitation normally extended by the second week of February and no sign of any offer arriving, it began to look increasingly likely this was going to be a rather pointed snub by the Trump administration. But to the relief of Taoiseach Micheál Martin and his staff, the longed-for letter arrived at the last minute on February 27.
But while Irish politicians can allow themselves a sigh of relief that they haven’t been very publicly left out in the cold, this year promises to be both the most important, and the most difficult, encounter between the leaders of the two countries in decades.
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