Irish PM 'delighted' by Trump's White House invite

The taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister) has been invited to the White House by US President Donald Trump to celebrate St Patrick's Day next month.

The meeting is scheduled to take place on 12 March, five days before the Irish public holiday.

A spokesperson for the Taoiseach Micheál Martin told BBC News NI that he was "delighted to accept and looks forward to meeting the president".

"The embassy in Washington will continue to engage with the White House team on the details of our visit," she added.

Irish broadcaster RTÉ reported that Martin received the invitation in a letter from the US president.

It said Trump's letter congratulated the taoiseach on his recent appointment and highlighted the special bond between the Irish and American people.

It is customary for Irish leaders to travel to the US every March for an audience with the president at the White House.

They present their host with a bowl of shamrock - a tradition that dates back to President Harry Truman in 1952.

Martin is serving his second term as taoiseach, having previously led his country from June 2020 to December 2022.

However, he was not able to visit the White House on St Patrick's Day in 2021 because of Covid travel restrictions.

He did make the trip to Washington DC in March 2022 but he could not visit the White House in person because he contracted Covid while in the US.

As a result, Martin's previous St Patrick's Day duties as taoiseach consisted of video calls with Trump's predecessor Joe Biden.

The annual Washington visit is viewed as an important political opportunity to strengthen US and Irish diplomatic relations and boost cross-Atlantic trade.

The Republic of Ireland is particularly vulnerable to threats of US tariffs on European imports and Trump's "America First" policy.

In 2023, the US was the number-one country for Irish goods exports, buying products worth €54bn.

That meant just over a quarter of Irish goods exports were sold into this one market.

Earlier this week, Trump said he was planning to impose tariffs of about 25% on goods made in the European Union, of which Ireland is member.

On Thursday, the Tánaiste (deputy PM) Simon Harris told the Dáil (Irish Parliament) it has never been a more important time for ministers to travel abroad for talks.

Almost 40 Irish ministers and other state officials will make St Patrick's Day trips to destinations including the US, Australia, Japan, India, Mexico and Thailand.

Visiting Trump in the White House can also have political perils at home however because of his controversial foreign policy announcements.

In Northern Ireland, Sinn Féin and the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) said they would boycott the White House this St Patrick's Day because of Trump's stance on the Israel-Gaza conflict.

The Alliance Party has also confirmed they will not attend the events, but Northern Ireland's Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly is going to Washington DC.

Asked about her plans, Little-Pengelly said it was important to "maintain long and rewarding" relationships with the US.

"It's important we engage regardless of what our personal views may or may not be. That's what I'll be doing on St Patrick's Day," she added.