Christina Finn Reports from New York

“I PRAY THIS St Patrick’s Day that every one of us here has the courage and strength to be fearless ambassadors of hope and charity.”

That was the message of Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of Ireland Eamon Martin this morning at Mass in St Patrick’s Cathedral in New York.

Never has such a call to action hit home so quickly, as a mere hour or so later, ex-MMA fighter Conor McGregor was in the White House to meet US President Donald Trump. 

The archbishop called on the congregation in the Fifth Avenue cathedral to be “generous helpers of the poor and the marginalised and welcoming friends for those who, like St Patrick, and so many of our Irish ancestors, are forcibly displaced from their homeland”.

Shortly afterwards, McGregor was speaking in the White House press room about a perceived scourge of migration, telling press secretary Karoline Leavitt that the voices of Ireland have been abandoned by the Irish government, that there are no hotels in the country for American visitors and that the “illegal immigration racket” has ruined rural towns. 

The juxtaposition of such different messages on a day when the world aims to celebrate Ireland and all it stands for was not lost at home. 

No one is of the view that things are in any way perfect on the island, but the questions that came to mind after scenes in the White House are: Who do we want representing us on the global stage? And, do we care only about ourselves these days?

Above all else, when you set the paddywhackery aside, St Patrick’s Day is a religious holiday celebrating St Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, who – the archbishop noted, not for the first time – was a migrant himself. 

He said he was a migrant who “dared to hope”, adding that it “kept St Patrick going in his captivity”.

“That’s the hope which sustained the faith of our fathers in Ireland in spite of persecution, famine and forced displacement. That’s the hope which sustained the Irish who came here as immigrants in famine times with little more than the clothes on their backs. They were inspired to dream, to pull themselves up and to help build a better future for themselves and their families,” Martin said. 

It’s a narrative that is often highlighted by Irish politicians that travel to the US on 17 March, and one which former Taoiseach Enda Kenny reminded Trump of during his first term in office. 

But McGregor, who says he speaks on behalf of the Irish, didn’t tell the story of St Patrick today. He told a story of fear and division.

The undocumented Irish were raised with the fighter when a reporter asked him what Trump should do with those migrants (obviously the irony of his speech not completely lost on the political press)?

Appearing uncertain in his response, McGregor merely said that Ireland and the US are “siblings” and that America is the “big bro” who should look after Ireland.

Illegal immigration is fine, as long as you’re ‘you’re on of us’ (whatever us means to McGregor) is all that could be gleaned from that response. 

There was a packed schedule for Tánaiste Simon Harris today in New York, who said himself when asked by the media that he would rather be talking about the “courage” of Nikita Hand than McGregor today. 

In November last year, McGregor was deemed liable for sexually assaulting Nikita Hand in the Beacon Hotel on 9 December 2018, with the jury in the case awarding Hand over €248,000 in damages.

McGregor’s appeal against the jury’s finding will come before the Court of Appeal this week. 

All the Tánaiste would say is that McGregor doesn’t speak on behalf of the Irish people, a sentiment that was repeated by the Taoiseach also. 

In fact, rarely are all side of the political landscape united, and indeed much of the public. Members of the opposition, such as Sinn Féin, People Before Profit, politicians in Northern Ireland and former Taoiseach Leo Varadkar were all on the same page today. 

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McGregor’s remarks do not reflect the spirit of St Patrick’s Day or the views of the people of Ireland, they said. 

So what of the spirit of St Patrick’s Day?

While some controversial figures try and hog the green spotlight for themselves this week, the feeling on Manhattan streets today was that of joy, the sense of pride in where we come from and a gratitude for a place, a country, that accepted us and gave us a home. 

The streets of New York were green, lined with people cheering each other, no matter where they had come from. No matter if your tastes are above ‘Kiss me I’m Irish’ t-shirts, leprechaun hats and tricolour paraphernalia, it really is a day when we take over for mostly the right reasons. 

During Mass this morning, one of the most important markings in many an Irish-American’s St Patrick’s Day schedule, the archbishop said he thanked God for the fact that the beautiful island of St Patrick is no longer making the headlines because of death and destruction on our streets.

He recalled that one young man took him aside this week while he was visiting Washington DC, just a few days before McGregor made his trip.

The young man told the archbishop that we need to speak more than ever about peace and reconciliation and fraternity in the world. 

“Because our world at the moment seems more fragile and fragmented than ever. There’s more talk now about rearmament among nations than about the needs of the hungry and the common good. And I sensed in his words, a yearning for hope,” said Martin. 

As this St Patrick’s Day draws to a close, it’s a very different message that has resounded around the world from the White House.