Ireland's soft-power triumph in America is testament to the continued enthusiasm of the 32m Irish-Americans for their roots
, Ireland’s ambassador to Washington, sent Harry Truman a box of shamrocks on St Patrick’s Day in 1952, he could not have imagined he was launching the greatest exercise in soft power. Yet it is hard to think of a rival to the annual shamrock ceremony and its attendant rituals. On March 14th, Leo Varadkar, the sixth consecutive Irish Taoiseach to conduct them, will celebrate St Patrick’s Day by breakfasting with Vice-President Mike Pence.
This is, in a sense, par for the course. Barack Obama’s administration was also full of Irish-Americans—including Joe Biden, his Yeats-quoting deputy, who is expected to announce a presidential run shortly. Mr O’Bama also promoted his own Irish ancestry—as did his five immediate predecessors. There are a few reasons for this Celtic pre-eminence.
Yet it is notable that Irish-American politicians harped on the feeling this inspired, of struggle and two fingers to the bloody establishment, long after Ireland was free and most Irish-Americans comfortably middle class. “Ireland’s chief export has been neither potatoes nor linen, but exiles and immigrants who have fought with sword and pen for freedom,” enthused Bobby Kennedy.
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