Miriam Lord: Guests sang Donald Trump's signature tune at the US ambassador's bash until embarrassment got the better of them

Irish Times

15 hours ago

With
Donald Trump
cutting loose on his second term in the White House and
his good buddy Ed Walsh
hosting his first big public event here as US ambassador to Ireland, guests at the embassy's annual Fourth of July celebrations in the Phoenix Park were wondering if the bash would be Mega or Maga.
Neither, as it turned out.
It wasn't mega. A smaller crowd than last year enjoyed Uncle Sam's hospitality on the back lawn of the ambassador's Deerfield residence.
The event is normally awash with politicians from all the main parties but
Sinn Féin
, Labour and the Social Democrats chose to swerve the festivities in protest at the Trump administration's support of
Israel
as it continues its genocidal war on
Gaza
.
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Their absence, particularly that of the Shinners, who are always fond of cosying up with their American friends, put quite a dent in the numbers.
The turnout from Government TDs was also smaller than usual. The Ministers present included
Peter Burke
and
Martin Heydon
. Attorney General Rossa Fanning – quite the man about town – popped in early to meet the ambassador before nipping off to the King's Inns to hear fellow barrister and Minister for Justice
Jim O'Callaghan
take a few lighthearted pot shots at him during an entertaining speech.
Independent Ireland TDs mustered in force while Independent Senator Sharon Keogan,
a self-proclaimed Maga supporter
, was loving the occasion.
Mattie McGrath and Carol Nolan, formerly of the now defunct Rural Independents, queued with many others to have their picture taken with the ambassador while former Fine Gael minister Alan Shatter was spotted in the crowd.
And there wasn't a big Maga vibe going on either.
It was all rather low key, with added
Michael Flatley
, who tooted the flute for his friend Ed. He said they'd met recently in the Oval Office.
As luck would have it, the Feet of Flames star just happened to have a bottle of his signature label whiskey on his person when posing for a photo with Walsh, and then he obviously had to hold it up between them so it didn't spoil the line of his jacket.
Michael Flatley on stage during the Fourth of July celebrations in Dublin, without a bottle of his whiskey. Photograph: Dan Dennison
Una Healy, once of The Saturdays, had the crowd up dancing as she performed onstage at the end of the night with The Swing Cats. According to the Daily Mail, the 'singer, 43, stunned in a £525 Nadine Merabi bridal-style jumpsuit which featured removable diamanté straps and a detachable embellished belt' while she 'added inches to her sculpted frame as she slipped into a pair of towering silver stilettos'.
Ambassador Walsh welcomed more than 2,000 guests to the Deerfield residence, which he is proud to call his family home for the next few years.
'I've been told many times that this is the best job in the entire world, and now that I've been here for a week, I honestly feel like that's the truth,' he said.
Only a week? He'd want to give it a bit longer.
Walsh thanked his 'good friend' President Trump for entrusting him with this new role. He is a very keen golfer and a member of Trump's Bedminister club in New Jersey. Apparently, he is hoping to get back to Jersey in August to hit the course with the Potus.
In the meantime, the talk in Deerfield on Thursday night was that golfer
Bryson DeChambeau
, a two-time US Open winner, may stay in Dublin with the ambassador in advance of the Open Championship, which is taking place in Portrush later this month.
Donald Trump with Bryson DeChambeau, who may be visiting the Phoenix Park before this month's Open Championship. Photograph:In his speech, Walsh told the crowd: 'I stand before you as a businessman, a family man and someone who deeply values the ties that bind communities together, from the boardroom to the golf course.'
That last bit got a few groans and a deeply sighed 'ah jaaaayis' from a man behind us.
The ambassador was joined by his wife Lynn and most of their family, including his daughter Hannah and her fiance Pat Beljan. 'They are planning their wedding for a year from now at this beautiful, beautiful residence.'
That got a warm round of applause. It was reminiscent of the British ambassador's announcement at his bash last week when he disclosed he is staying permanently in Dublin when his term is up.
Paul Johnston was among the large contingent of diplomats at the celebration. Since Minister
Darragh O'Brien mistakenly (and hilariously) referred to him by the wrong name during his speech
at the UK event, he had to put up with people calling him 'Jonathan' all night. That joke will soon wear thin.
Also present was the Canadian ambassador, Dennis King. He wasn't in the least bit bothered about Donald Trump's musings on turning Canada into the 51st US state.
Dennis and his wife Jana Hemphill, both former political journalists, found the idea highly amusing. They held their own garden party last week for Canada Day.
They had a moose called Bruce and a dugout canoe on the lawn. Bruce was stuffed. Rather like the crowd in Deerfield after a feed of mini hot-dogs, burgers, fries, ice-cream and sweeties.
Tánaiste Simon Harris on stage with US ambassador to Ireland Edward Walsh and his wife and daughters. Photograph: Dan Dennison
Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs
Simon Harris
spoke on behalf of the Government. It was a very long speech, probably because he had to wrap up strong comments on Gaza in a lot of soft soap about our mutual bond, shared history and how the two nations 'are intertwined in each other's stories'.
As the grand finale fireworks display burst across the sky, America the Beautiful blared from the speakers.
Then the opening strains of Trump's signature tune hit the air and the beer- and bourbon-soused guests jumped up and began singing along and doing the actions.
'YMCA!' they roared until, suddenly, some of them realised what they were doing and stopped, ever so slightly embarrassed.
This was the highlight of the night
Another refreshing first for Verona Murphy
Verona Murphy
made history late last year when she was elected as the Dáil's first female Ceann Comhairle.
It's a very busy life: not only does Verona police Dáil proceedings, she chairs the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission, which oversees the running of Leinster House along with various other procedural committees.
Then there are the VIPs who must be hosted when they visit, the many functions and receptions she has to attend in Kildare Street, the never-ending round of diplomatic engagements and the official trips abroad.
Ceann Comhairle Verona Murphy said of her ceremonial robes: 'There was a sort of chemical smell off them. A bit like Shake n' Vac.' Photograph: Maxwells/PA Wire
Verona, who didn't opt for a State driver when she got the job, drives up to Dublin every day from her Co Wexford home. Perhaps not that surprising as she was boss of the Irish Road Haulage Association in a former life.
Enough for any woman to be getting on with.
She was at the Independence Day knees-up at the US ambassador's residence with her daughter Robyn and sister Martina. Which is when we discovered that Verona has notched up another historic milestone: the first Ceann Comhairle to bring home their ceremonial robes and wash them.
Did they run up a new one for her when she assumed the role, given that all the previous incumbents were men – tall or portly or a mixture of both?
They did not. The robe is swimming on her.
She pulls the front of it down so it sits better on her shoulders and then 'bunches and bustles' everything else behind as she sits down.
Verona's predecessor, Seán Ó Fearghaíl, told the Dáil in 2022 how the robe was the subject of a Freedom of Information request the previous year when a newspaper asked how much it cost and how much was spent on dry-cleaning it.
Seán Ó Fearghaíl told the Dáil in 2022 that the Ceann Comhairle's robes were the subject of a Freedom of Information request. Photograph: Nick Bradshaw
'We discovered it was here so long that nobody knew what it had cost, and it had never been cleaned.'
It was sent off to be laundered, but that's a while ago now.
There are actually three robes.
'There was a sort of chemical smell off them. A bit like Shake n' Vac,' winced Verona.
After wearing one for a while she gives it a quick run through the washing machine at home and hangs it up to air-dry in the hot press.
'Comes out perfect. Doesn't even need to be ironed.'
Paschal Donohoe sums up the Government's problem
One simple question and the Government couldn't answer it.
Will third-level students have to face a Big Ugly Bill of €3,000 in September or will their annual contribution remain at the reduced €2,000 rate?
The Opposition had a ball this week when the Coalition's top guns and all their media-savvy advisers couldn't come up with a way to communicate themselves out of a situation they'd blundered themselves into.
Minister for Higher Education James Lawless struggled to explain how the student contribution charge might go up in the short term but come down in the long term after changes in October's budget. Photograph: Nick Bradshaw
Minister for Public Expenditure
Jack Chambers
and Minister for Higher Education
James Lawless
struggled to explain how the fee might go up in the short term but come down in the long term after changes in October's budget. Changes that they cannot talk about because they don't know precisely what they will be yet so they can only drop hints and waffle, which just made everything worse.
The Tánaiste was commentating from the sidelines and had lots to say on everything but the fevered question of the hike that Lawless suggested is on the cards.
And there were occasional noises off from Japan, where the Taoiseach was leading a trade delegation and having his picture taken in exotic places.
But who really cared about student fees when, in an unexpected Nightmare in Bunratty Castle episode,
Micheál Martin
was plonked in front of an Irish harp in Tokyo with his fingers splayed across the strings and a demented smile on his face?
Taoiseach Micheál Martin: The smile was probably from the relief of not being asked to hold a fiddle. Photograph: Government of Ireland
The smile was probably from the relief of not being asked to hold a fiddle.
Back home, the broader detail of the third-level fee system, and the fact that a very large proportion of the student population already pays little or no fees, was neither here nor there.
The bottom line was that the Government, having promised to further reduce costs for students, is unable to say it is not putting them up.
Telling people, in a very roundabout way, that everything will work out better in the end was never going to work, not when the Opposition had concrete figures to go on.
The move affects people from higher-income groups. This might explain why Maeve O'Connell, Fine Gael TD for Dublin-Rathdown, rang Liveline to express her disquiet over the lack of clarity, to reassure fuming callers that the budget process is at a very early stage and to make it known in south Co Dublin that she is taking a very dim view indeed.
Across in the Upper House, Government Senators lined up with Opposition colleagues against any increase. Fianna Fáil Senators blamed the Fine Gael Minister for Finance and Fine Gael Senators blamed the Fianna Fáil Minister for Public Expenditure.
Thankfully, after two days of utter confusion,
Paschal Donohoe
came in on Thursday to take Leaders' Questions. He has been around the economic block a fair bit and is going for a hat-trick as president of the Eurogroup of finance ministers next week.
Paschal knows his sums and would surely clear up the pre-budget conundrum.
Fianna Fáil Senators blamed the Fine Gael Minister for Finance Paschal Dohohoe for the confusion and Fine Gael Senators blamed the Fianna Fáil Minister for Public Expenditure Jack Chambers. Photograph: Barry Cronin
Will the charge be €2,000 or €3,000 in September?
He gave the lowdown to Jennifer Whitmore of the Social Democrats.
'The reality is that 143,000 students and their families benefit from free fees ...
'The reality is that 60,000 students at the moment benefit from lower forms of student contribution ...
'The reality is that, today, 80,000 of our student population are benefiting from either no fees at all, because of the various schemes that are in place, or partial fees.'
Which doesn't add up.
And no clarity on whether the contribution fee will rise by a grand or stay as it is.
You'd have to worry about the nation's finances.