Taoiseach to travel to Washington and Boston for St Patrick’s Day celebrations

Irish premier Leo Varadkar is to travel to Washington and Boston for celebratory St Patrick’s Day events as calls for the event to be boycotted were made by some opposition politicians.

Ministers’ travel plans for the week of March 17 were confirmed at Cabinet on Tuesday, a trip traditionally used by the Irish Government to develop business and diplomatic ties around the world.

A bowl of shamrocks are handed to the US president by the Taoiseach at a White House ceremony in what has become a long-standing tradition.

Mr Varadkar said that although Ireland had not yet received a formal invite to the White House, he would accept such an invite.

“If I am invited, I will accept and as always, we’ll use it as an opportunity to speak to the US president and the US administration about matters of interest and matters of concern to the Irish people,” he said.

“And those conversations are not always pleasant ones because while we agree on the vast majority of things, we don’t agree on everything.”

Tanaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Micheal Martin, is to travel to Vancouver, Ottawa, and Toronto in Canada, and Minister for Environment, Climate and Transport Eamon Ryan is to head to Brazil.

Minister for Finance Michael McGrath is to travel to China, while Minister for Public Expenditure Paschal Donohoe is going to France and Bulgaria.

Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien is travelling to South Africa and Zambia, Minister for Children Roderic O’Gorman is travelling to the Japanese cities of Tokyo and Osaka, and Minister for Enterprise Simon Coveney is travelling to Bangladesh and India.

Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly is travelling to six Australian cities: Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Canberra, Melbourne and Sydney, while Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue is going to Kenya, Ethiopia and South Sudan.

Justice Minister Helen McEntee is to travel to New York; Minister for Tourism Catherine Martin to Nashville and Austin; while Minister for Social Protection Heather Humphreys is travelling to Springfield, Chicago and Madison.

Minister for Education Norma Foley is travelling to Edinburgh, Cardiff, Manchester and London; and Minister for Further and Higher Education Simon Harris is also travelling to London.

Junior ministers are also being sent to various locations across the world for St Patrick’s Day: chief whip and Minister of State Hildegarde Naughton is to travel to Singapore and minister of state Mary Butler is to travel to the Holy See, Cyprus and Italy.

Attorney General Rossa Fanning will accompany the Taoiseach to Washington and Boston.

The St Patrick’s Day events are being organised as some opposition politicians called for the high-profile White House visit to be used to push for a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza.

The SDLP has said that it would boycott the White House events over US military support for Israeli actions in the Gaza Strip, but would send a delegation to Washington to “make the case for an end to violence”.

“I could not rub shoulders, drink Guinness and have the craic while the horrifying impacts of the brutal war in Gaza continue,” SDLP leader Colum Eastwood MP said.

“I think that there should be a boycott of the trip, full stop, this year,” People Before Profit-Solidarity TD Mick Barry said.

Asked about the opportunity to influence the opinion of President Joe Biden, he said: “I think a stronger way to make the point is to do the boycott.

“Persuasion is not always about parlez vous. It’s also about actions and taking a strong stance. Here’s a tremendous opportunity to show solidarity with the Palestinian people – it should be taken.”

He added: “Senior Irish politicians, whether it be Leo Varadkar, Fianna Fail politicians, or Mary Lou McDonald, should not be in Washington on St Patrick’s Day this year, handing over the bowl of shamrocks to the Biden administration. Sometimes you have to take a stand.”

The programme for Ireland’s national St Patrick’s festival and parade in Dublin was also unveiled on Tuesday, with this year’s theme being “spreach” – the Irish word for spark.