Verona Murphy will have a splendid time in Los Angeles, as will Martin Heydon in San Francisco, but do we really need to send them both – not to mention the other six who are US-bound for St Patrick's Day? The real audience for the St Patrick’s Day mega-jolly isn’t actually the foreign dignitaries we are assured will be wowed by being in the same room as someone whose niece was in school with one of the Corrs. Which leaves the question of who is supposed to be taken in by the epic scale of this year’s display of Irish soft power. It’s time we let go of the fantasy of Ireland’s soft power sending a warm glow around the world, like the gentle hug of a Ronan Keating song. Shipping the entire Government off to drink green beer and hum along to Zombie for St Patrick’s Day might offer us brief assurance that all is well, but it’s an expensive form of therapy.

Source: The Irish Times February 01, 2026 07:31 UTC