Republicans welcoming Ireland’s Prime Minister Enda Kenney and a traveling Irish press pool acted downright foolishly and the reaction from reporters and the Irish people have been swift. From the Washington Post:
The day began with a cringe-worthy, mildly offensive Irish cliche in front of a room-full of Irish people, and it all went downhill from there.
“Top of the morning,” said Vice President Pence, as he hosted Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny at his residence for breakfast Thursday.
Really? The reaction by Irish on social media was palpable.
And got no better as Donald Trump took the podium and not only mispronounced Fionnuala Kenny, the wife of Prime Minister Enda Kenney, he took his moment to read the following, which he described as an old “Irish proverb”:
Within minutes, the true origins of the “Irish proverb” were known and surprise! Not Irish. In fact, the words were from Nigerian poet Albashir Adam Alhassan.
Here is the poem "Remember To Forget":
Always remember to forget,
The things that make you sad,
But never forget to remember,
The things that make you glad.
Always remember to forget,
The friends that proved untrue,
But never forget to remember,
Those that have stuck to you.
Always remember to forget,
The trouble that passed away,
But never forget to remember,
The blessings that come each day.
Always remember to do your duty,
And some kindness day by day,
But never forget to live a useful and happy life,
That is the only way.
And what was the press reaction to the Republicans fumbling St. Patrick’s Day blunders? We can hear them laughing and mocking from here. The reaction from the Irish Times:
In the midst the madness sat a silent Donald Trump and a fairly silent Enda, who was desperately trying to make small talk. But Trump just sat there like a sulky child, leaning forward in his seat, hands steepled between his knees, looking into the distance. He seemed bored.
And this was brutal:
Disappointingly, Trump didn’t look as orange as we expected. More a shade of weak Fanta on the face with a pale tinge of cold porridge around the eyes. His hair is truly fascinating, blond and tufted along the parting like a Crolly doll.
For what it’s worth, Enda has bigger hands.
Say something. What about Ireland?
“Love Ireland. I really love Ireland, yeah.”
Will he visit? (You had to be there. The tension was only massive.)
“I’ll be there, thank you.”
There you have it. Fools, every last one. See more in this brief clip from the Washington Post:
