Taoiseach Micheál Martin and his delegations arrive at the Great Hall of the People to meet with China's president Xi Jinping in Beijing on January 5th. Photograph: Andy Wong/Pool/AFP via GettyBack in 2017, in the early days of Leo Varadkar’s period as taoiseach, he was fond of referring to Ireland as “an island at the centre of the world”. Connections to the EU, the US and, increasingly, with China, positioned Ireland in a uniquely advantageous position. The island at the centre of the world is in danger of being sucked down the plughole. Martin and his wife Mary O'Shea in the Oval Office of the White House with US president Donald Trump in March 2025.

Source: The Irish Times January 10, 2026 13:33 UTC