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TRADE MISSIONS HAVE become an everyday occurrence in recent years with Ireland seeking to woo foreign investors from around the world.
However in 1976, the shoe was on the other foot as then Foreign Affairs Minister Garret Fitzgerald travelled to Russia for a trade visit, where he and other members of his delegation were given “the royal treatment”.
In a confidential wire from the US Embassy in Ireland to the White House, released by Wikileaks, an aide to the ambassador said the Russians “apparently went all out” to impress the four man Irish delegation on the first ever visit of an Irish foreign minister since the opening of diplomatic relations in 1973.
It goes on to say that Fitzgerald and his assistants expressed themselves as “not taken in” though the four journalists they brought along may have been
We have not been getting fulsome stories in our papers. That is not to say that the Russians are quickly going to lose the loud harassment which is their normal fate here. Ireland is still a very conservative Catholic country which believes that ‘Godless’ communists are in league with Satan.
The aide says that the embassy has been briefed by several participants and received a long briefing from then Political Director Noel Dorr in which he stressed that the trip “was more ceremonial than substantive”.
According to the wire, the Irish government were disappointed that they were not able to talk more on the “bread and butter economic issues” and Fitzgerald was refused a meeting with the Russian foreign trade minister.
It goes on to say that the only real friction came in negotiating a joint communique on the trip and that Dorr “described with amused admiration the great acting abilities of the Russians who projected surprise and deep hurt” when they original draft was rejected.
The disagreement mainly involved comments on the use of nuclear weapons and the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe implementation, particularly humanitarian issues.
Dorr is said to have told the embassy that “nothing tangible resulted from the economic talks” but he is convinced that the delegation impressed upon the soviets “the political importance” of trade.
The aide describes the relationship between the two countries as a “beauty and the beast situation as seen from here, with the Soviets being very much the suitors to the coy but increasingly accepting Irish”.
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Brayruit?
As long as it doesn’t glorify being a scote…they don’t need any more encouragement!!
@Yzo Sirrius: thats all it does, thats all any of those shows do. Really tired of them now. I wish RTE would glorify ethical lifestyles for a change.
@Mary Fitzsimons: This has nothing to do with RTE, Virgin are responsible for this production!
@Mary Fitzsimons: because glorifying ethical lifestyles directly as the shows medium would be quite boring, good crime television programs can be successful at glorifying the archetypes of different characters and how they potentially react with the story and it really is down to the story, but crime especially of that calibre is at an all time low here, unless its based in the 90s or earlier 2000s other wise its going to be an inaccurate shit show, watch the sopranos or the wire my dear and you will say otherwise about television shows or glorifying criminality, instead it uses the theme as a vehicle to drive the story another great example is a Danish film “pusher” the problem lies with the writing staff not the theme.
There really isn’t anything better than ‘ultra violence’. Endlessly fascinating and a joy to watch. Looking forward to the box set.
@alan: indeed, really difficult to write that stuff
@alan: you spelt sex bot wrong
While Love/Hate was brilliant, sadly we just don’t produce good drama in this country. Great and all as Love/Hate was, it never really took off outside of Ireland.
@Aging Lothario: I heard the Yanks are doing a remake of Love/Hate, set among the indigenous people in the rougher parts of Hawaii.
@Aging Lothario: agree, the production or Irish TV always has a cheap and amateur undertone. It’s sometimes cringey to watch.
@Squiddley Diddley: Supposedly, Denis Lehane (writer of Gone Baby Gone amongst other crime novels) was on board to write the series, which would have been a hell of a coup but that was 5 years ago & there’s not much been heard of it since
@Aging Lothario: unlike the Danes … brilliant stuff sells worldwide.
There’s nothing glamorous about the seedy side of Bray although some work hard at trying to put a ‘respectable’ face on it.
Won’t be able to go to Bray anymore as the up and coming will be walking around thinking there gangsters.
I saw the first series, too many adverts I’ll watch no more.
have your say