TAOISEACH MICHEÁL MARTIN has accepted a formal invitation from US President Donald Trump to visit the White House for the annual St Patrick’s Day bilateral meeting. 

It comes after speculation that the invite may not be forthcoming this year, with question marks raised over how the Taoiseach would address Trump following his remarks about Gaza. 

Government officials had insisted the invitation was always expected, but some doubt had arisen amid strained ties between the EU and Trump’s administration.

A spokesperson for the Taoiseach this morning confirmed to The Journal that he received the invitation to visit the White House to celebrate St Patrick’s Day on 12 March. 

“He is delighted to accept and looks forward to meeting the President,” the spokesperson said. 

They said the Embassy in Washington will continue to engage with the White House team on the details of the visit.

It will be Micheál Martin’s second time travelling to the White House for the annual St Patrick’s Day celebrations, having previously done so while serving as Taoiseach in 2022.

However, his meeting with then-president Joe Biden had to be held via video conference after Martin tested positive for Covid-19. 

Micheál Martin was forced to hold a meeting with then-US president Joe Biden in 2022 via video conference after he tested positive for Covid-19. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland programme this morning, Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan said Martin was “very unfortunate” to have his first visit to the White House impacted by Covid three years ago.

‘Diplomacy and tact’

Asked how he thought the Fianna Fáil leader would fare in the meeting with Trump, O’Callaghan said he would handle it “with great diplomacy and tact, as he always does”.

“It’s an honour that we’ve been invited to the White House on St Patrick’s Day. I don’t think we should become too concerned about the identity of the person who holds the office,” he said.

“The office of President of the United States is a very important office, particularly when you look at the world at present. It’s becoming such a challenging place, and there’s such a changing geopolitical climate there.”

O’Callaghan added that the Irish people “can be assured that they will be proud” of Martin’s representation of the country in Washington, “as they can be where he represents us anywhere”.

The Taoiseach, Tánaiste and eight ministers will all travel to the US for extensive high-level engagement next month, with Martin also set to visit Texas while in the states. 

Ministers will be expected to emphasise the mutually beneficial Ireland-US economic relationship, valued at over one trillion Euro per annum.

Government representatives will seek to emphasise the depth and breadth of the economic relationship between the two countries, with Tánaiste Simon Harris previously stating that there is a need to promote “Team Ireland”.

But there are fears within government that there is strong lobbying from Israel against Ireland, due to the position the government has taken on Palestine.

Earlier this month, Martin accused Sinn Féin of “engaging in politics” after the party indicated that they would not travel to the US for St Patrick’s Day “as a principled stance against the threat of mass expulsion of the Palestinian people from Gaza”.

Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald however said that Martin should travel to Washington and urged him “not to equivocate” on the issue of Gaza.

Asked if he would still travel to the White House, Martin said he has “a responsibility to the country”.

He described the relationship between Ireland and the US as “very important” and said a “clear message” needed to be emphasised on engagement with Trump.