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President Connolly as she meets with An Taoiseach Micheál Martin for their first meeting under Article 28 held in Áras an Uachtárain. Tony Maxwell
TEA AND CHATS
Taoiseach and President had their first weekly meeting over tea and cakes
Connolly and Martin sat in front of a fire during the constitutionally required tête-à-tête.
PRESIDENT CATHERINE CONNOLLY and Taoiseach Micheál Martin had their first weekly Article 28 meeting in Áras an Uachtárain today.
Article 28 of the Constitution requires regular meeting to take place between the two so that the President shall be informed of international and domestic matters.
Pictures shared of the tête-à-tête show Connolly and Martin sitting in front of a fire enjoying tea and cakes – though, it’s unclear if the Taoiseach, who is well-known for his healthy eating (and not eating a biscuit in over 30 years), ate any of the cake.
While it all seemed very cordial from the photos, the two haven’t always been so cosy.
During the presidential election Martin made some subtle digs at Connolly, including comments around the European Union during his speech at Fianna Fáil’s Cairde dinner.
He said there are “anti-EU sentiments” expressed by people who nevertheless “always pretend that they are not anti-EU, but their demands expose the reality of their beliefs”.
The Journal asked the Taoiseach about this after the announcement that Connolly had been elected, but he appeared to roll back his criticism somewhat and said he didn’t “foresee difficulties” working with the new president.
Martin indicated that it wasn’t just Connolly he was referring to, but also Sinn Féin and “other political parties”.
“I think Catherine, in fairness, is a lawyer and understands the framework,” said Martin.
Michael D Higgins “had strong positions, but always acted within the parameters of the office, so I don’t foresee difficulties on that front”, added Martin.
“You know, we’re entitled to have different perspectives on issues like this. That’s the lifeblood of politics and of the parliamentary democracy, and we had different perspectives in the parliament and in the Dáil on some issues like that, but that’s normal and natural.”
If any issues or differences arise, Martin said: “I feel we have the maturity both government and in the president-elect to work through these issues.”
With additional reporting from Christina Finn
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