So who Is Minding Ireland Over The St Patrick’s Weekend?
One Irish government minister and two junior government ministers only, will remain in Ireland over the upcoming St Patrick’s weekend. Same have been named as Agriculture Minister Mr Martin Heydon and junior ministers Mr Michael Healy Rea and Mr Michael Moynihan.
Some 38 other senior representatives of the Irish State will travel to more than 90 cities in 40 countries at the taxpayers expense with no representatives visiting Gaza, Israel, Lebanon or Ukraine.
Likewise, sadly, due to the lack of luxury hotel accommodation, no Irish government representatives will, this year, be visiting the Democratic Republic of Congo (23.4 million starving), Yemen (17 million starving), Afghanistan (12.4 million starving), Syria (12.9 million starving), Africa’s The Sahel (13 million starving), South Sudan (7.1 million starving), Sudan (26.6 million starving), Somalia (6 Million starving), Northern Ethiopia (5.5 million starving) and Haiti (4.7 million starving) to engage in programmes to promote Ireland and Irish interests and our values in the world.
| Taoiseach | Micheál Martin | Texas and Washington DC |
| Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Trade & Defence. | Simon Harris | Philadelphia and New York |
| Minister for Climate, Environment Energy and Transport. | Darragh O’Brien | Miami and Los Angeles |
| Minister for Social Protection, Rural & Community Development and the Gaeltacht. | Dara Calleary | Atlanta and Savannah |
| Minister for Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport. | Patrick O’Donovan | Seattle and San Francisco |
| Minister for Health. | Jennifer Carroll MacNeill | UN Commission on the Status of Women, New York and Chicago |
| Attorney General. | Rossa Fanning SC | Michigan and Montana |
| Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. | Alan Dillon | Utah, USA and Vancouver, Canada |
| Minister for Finance. | Paschal Donohoe | Germany |
| Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Services, Reform and Digitalisation. | Jack Chambers | Chile and Argentina |
| Minister for Children, Disability and Equality. | Norma Foley | London |
| Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration. | Jim O’Callaghan | Italy, Holy See and Malta |
| Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage. | James Browne | China |
| Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science. | James Lawless | India |
| Government Chief Whip and Minister of State at the Department of Health. | Mary Butler | Denmark and Sweden |
| Minister of State Children, Disability and Equality. | Hildegarde Naughton | Japan |
| Minister of State for Agriculture, Food, Fisheries and the Marine. | Noel Grealish | Vietnam and Cambodia |
| Minister of State for Transport. | Sean Canney | Brazil |
| Minister of State for European Affairs and at the Department of Defence. | Thomas Byrne | France |
| Minister of State for Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport. | Charlie McConalogue | Colombia |
| Minister of State for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitisation. | Kevin “Boxer” Moran | Portugal |
| Minister of State for Finance. | Robert Troy | Czechia |
| Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Trade. | Neale Richmond | Kenya and Tanzania |
| Minister of State for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht. | Jerry Buttimer | New Zealand |
| Minister of State for Housing, Local Government and Heritage. | John Cummins | Thailand and the Philippines |
| Minister of State for Housing, Local Government and Heritage. | Christopher O’Sullivan | Norway & Poland |
| Minister of State for Housing, Local Government and Heritage. | Kieran O’Donnell | Cardiff and Manchester |
| Minister of State for Public Health, Well Being and the National Drugs Strategy. | Jennifer Murnane O’Connor | Greece and Cyprus |
| Minister of State for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration. | Niall Collins | Mexico |
| Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment Peter Burke. | Peter Burke | Boston and New Hampshire |
| Minister of State for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment. | Niamh Smyth | Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania |
| Minister of State for Fisheries. | Timmy Dooley | Canada |
| Minister of State for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration. | Colm Brophy | Spain |
| Minister of State for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science. | Marian Harkin | Netherlands and Belgium |
| Ceann Comhairle. | Verona Murphy | Switzerland |
| Minister of State for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitisation. | Emer Higgins | Western Australia |
| Minister for Minister for Education and Youth. | Helen McEntee | Australia |
| Cathaoirleach Seanad | Mark Daly | Edinburgh |
Irish Ministers and other representatives will promote Irish investment overseas, the successes and growth of overseas companies that have chosen Ireland as their base in Europe, which no doubt will be pleasant news to the ears of President Donald Trump.
Tipperary Contribution:
Meanwhile, here in Tipperary “turkeys have once again voted for Christmas”, with 33 of the 36 county councillors voting to send Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Ms Sinead Carr and Cathaoirleach Cllr. Mr Declan Burgess on a, quote; “nonpolitical trip to meet the people of Tipperary in New York”.
We understand that the White House invitation to Taoiseach Mr Micheál Martin has yet to arrive, however, An Taoiseach has stated that he anticipates meeting US President Mr Donald Trump in Washington.
All representatives, on their return, are required to present a full report on their activities and trade successes, with regards this St Patrick’s promotional trip abroad, made at the public’s expense, or was I dreaming.
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