Taoiseach Micheál Martin accuses Sinn Féin of playing ‘politics’ over White House St Patrick’s Day boycott
Taoiseach Micheál Martin accused Sinn Fein of playing "politics" as he insisted he will accept every opportunity to engage with US President Donald Trump and hopes to proceed with the traditional St Patrick's Day meeting in the White House.
Mr Martin's vow that he hopes to "double-down" on every opportunity to engage with President Trump on issues ranging from Irish-US trade to Ukraine and Gaza came as Sinn Fein President Mary Lou McDonald said she will not attend any White House event in March in protest at the US threat to take over Gaza.
The Taoiseach - speaking as he opened a Focus Ireland housing project in Mallow, Co Cork - clarified that no formal invitation is issued for the St Patrick's Day event in the White House.
"You do not get a specific sort of invitation - these things are worked out (between) officials in the embassy and White House officials," he said.
Mr Martin stressed that dialogue and engagement was never more important between the US and European leaders.
"First of all, Sinn Féin does what it always does - it engages in politics. I have a responsibility to the country. Indeed, earlier this week we had a meeting with our European colleagues convened by President (Emmanuel) Macron with Canada, with Norway and with Iceland.
"The very clear message there was the need - not only to continue with - but to double-down on engagement with the US administration both politically and with the President.
"I think that is very important because, first of all, the economic relationship between Europe and the US - and between Ireland and the US - is an extremely important one. It is a very robust one.
"Many Irish companies create thousands of jobs in the US. Many US companies create thousands of jobs in Ireland - it is a two-way street but it is a very significant relationship."
"We have an obligation to protect the livelihoods of many, many people in this country and to engage and discuss and profile the level of Irish investment in the US - companies like Ryanair who buy very significantly from Boeing, the Kerry Group, Smurfit-Westrock, Glanbia to name just a few though there are many, many other small-to-medium sized companies which have established operations in the US,” Mr Martin said.
Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald said she will not attend the White House for a customary event this St Patrick’s Day and said she “listened in horror at the calls from the President of the United States for the mass expulsion of the Palestinian people from their homes and the permanent seizure of their lands”.
"Such an approach is a fundamental breach of international law, is deeply destabilising in the Middle East and is a dangerous departure from the UN position and peace and security for both Palestinians and Israelis.
"The ties between Ireland and the US are historic and run deep, there are deep bonds between Sinn Féin and people in the US who supported peace and prosperity in Ireland,” Ms McDonald said in an address posted online.
Deputy McDonald said the relationship between Ireland and the US was “deep” and “enduring”, but said there was “an onus on us to act when we believe the US administration is wrong, catastrophically so in the case of Palestine.
"I’ve thought deeply about this in recent days but I have made the decision to not attend the event in the White House on St Patrick’s Day as a principled stance against the calls for mass expulsion of the Palestinian people”.
Ms McDonald said the only route to peace and security for Israelis and Palestinians was a “permanent ceasefire” followed by a negotiated settlement for a “just and sustainable two-state solution”.
"That should be the position of the United States. Sinn Féin will continue to engage with the US administration at many levels, with friends of Ireland on Capitol Hill,” Ms McDonald said.
When Taoiseach Micheál Martin goes to the White House, he will have the chance to speak on behalf of the people of Ireland, Ms Donald said, adding: “He must use this opportunity to reflect the view of the Irish people in relation to Palestine, in support of international law and to reject threats for the mass expulsion of the Palestinian people.
Northern Ireland’s First Minister, Sinn Féin vice president Michelle O’Neill, has also announced she will not attend the White House for traditional St Patrick’s Day events in protest at the US administration’s stance on Gaza. She said her decision not to travel to the White House said she was standing “on the side of humanity”.
Speaking at a press conference in Dublin, she said: “The decision to not travel to the White House has not been taken lightly, but it is taken very conscious of the responsibility that each of us have as individuals to call out injustice when we see it.
“We are all heartbroken whenever we witness the suffering of the Palestinian people, and the recent comments by the US president around the mass expulsion of the Palestinian people from Gaza is just simply something that I cannot ignore.”
Mary Lou McDonald said the Taoiseach must go to the White House next month and push back against President Trump's comments on Gaza.
"The Taoiseach enjoys the opportunity on St Patrick's Day to have those bilateral interactions with the President of the United States and to speak for the Irish government and the Irish people from various platforms. And I believe that he needs to avail of that," Ms McDonald said.
"We absolutely believe that he needs to go and furthermore, when there set out unambiguously the Irish position in respect to all of these matters and to push back directly against any threat or goal for the mass expulsion of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip, the annexation of that land," she added.
Minister for Finance, Paschal Donohoe said it was the right of every party to outline their stance in dealing with the US but also said: "How can you make progress on a trade issue or a foreign policy issue if you have decided you don’t want to deal with the country on the opposite end of the table?"
He told RTÉ’s Today with Claire Byrne: "Every political party can take its own decision how it wants to engage with the US. I believe the appropriate decision is to engage with Trump and future US Presidents. As we look to developments needed in Northern Ireland, the US could support this and Sinn Féin will need to reconcile the decision they have made with that.
"Trump will be looking to engage with how to deal with the government of Ireland, not an opposition party
"If there was time for dialogue for engagement, to reach across divides it is now. President Macron is set to meet Trump next week, and other EU leaders will do that too. It is necessary and appropriate,” Minister Donohoe said.
When questioned on Trump potentially raising issues of tariffs in the Oval Office with Micheál Martin, Mr Donohoe responded that "It is inevitable that issues of taxation will be raised in one way or another but the Taoiseach has strong views. We can continue to be friends and engage with a country still have strong views on things that matter,” he said.
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