THERE was more than a little confusion at Aras an Uachtarain on Wednesday when King Hussein of Jordan arrived bearing an unexpectedly lavish gift. The President, Mrs Robinson, was awarded the Al-Hussein bin Ali collar, a diamond-studded gold collar, which was described by those who saw it as rather like a Lord Mayor's chain and obviously very valuable.
First there was a flurry over whether she could accept it at all, given the constitutional ban on foreign titles. After hurried consultations it was decided that she could, since it was an honour that came with only a decoration and without a title. Then there was some blushing when our gifts were handed over. The King got a Waterford glass bowl and Queen Noor received an Irish linen table service which were hardly in the same league.
The Al-Hussein bin Ali collar, named for the King's grandfather who led the 1917 revolt to liberate the Arab world, will be on display with the rest of the gifts in the basement exhibition in Aras an Uachtarain. The Taoiseach, John Bruton, got the Order of the Bejewelled Renaissance but that's only a lapel pin.
The Jordanians left at noon on Thursday after their 22-hour visit.