THE TAOISEACH was given a warm welcome by President Barack Obama at the White House before discussions on a range of issues including the global recession, the banking crisis and the latest terrorist atrocities in Northern Ireland.
Brian Cowen undertook to convey the president’s views to the EU summit later this week on the need for a co-ordinated international response to the economic crisis as a means of restoring global confidence.
Mr Cowen said Mr Obama had made it clear he did not consider Ireland as a tax haven.
The two men also spoke about recent events in Northern Ireland. Mr Obama said later that the thoughts and prayers of Americans everywhere went out to the families of the fallen.
“I want everyone listening to know this: the United States will always stand with those who work towards peace. After seeing former adversaries mourning and praying and working together this week, I’ve never been more confident that peace will prevail,” he said.
As well as meeting for 40 minutes, the president and the Taoiseach spoke at three events to mark St Patrick’s Day, before meeting again at last night’s reception in the White House.
Mr Cowen invited the president and Michelle Obama to Ireland while Mr Obama announced that the new US ambassador to Ireland is Dan Rooney, the owner of Superbowl champions the Pittsburgh Steelers and the co-founder of the American Ireland Fund.
The president made a number of good-humoured references to his distant Irish ancestry.
“It turns out that we have something in common. He hails from Co Offaly and it was brought to my attention on the campaign that my great-great-great grandfather on my mother’s side came to America from a small village in Co Offaly, as well. We are still speculating on whether we are related,” he said at the presentation of a bowl of shamrock.
At a lunch on Capitol Hill hosted by the speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, Mr Obama returned to the theme of his Offaly connections.
“When I was a relatively unknown candidate for office, I didn’t know about this part of my heritage, which would have been very helpful in Chicago. So I thought I was bluffing when I put the apostrophe after the O. I tried to explain that ‘Barack’ was an ancient Celtic name.
“Taoiseach, I hope our efforts today put me on the path of earning that apostrophe.”
Earlier, Mr Obama said that the events in the US to mark St Patrick’s Day were an affirmation of one of the strongest bonds between peoples that exist in the world.
“The bond between our countries could not be stronger. As somebody who comes from Chicago, I know a little bit about Ireland and the warmth, the good humour, and the fierce passion and intelligence of the Irish people is something that has informed our own culture, as well.
“Today is a day for all the people of America and Ireland to celebrate our shared history and our shared future with joy and good cheer, so I can’t think of a better place to take the Taoiseach for lunch than the Congress,” said Mr Obama to ironic laughter.
Mr Cowen told the president that there was a phrase in the Irish language, “Is féidir linn”.
“It may seem familiar. It translates as ‘Yes, we can’.”
At the second attempt the president responded in a respectable blas: “Is féidir linn. All right. I got that. Yes, we can.”