The meeting between President Catherine Connolly and President Trump went off well enough. There were fears over a possible clash of views but both parties were restrained. All to the good.
An interesting aspect to the meeting was the trio of gifts that the Irish president gave to her American visitor. No shiny orb in this lot and there was no Boeing 747 parked on the Áras an Uachtaráin lawn.
But here's what was given and as posted on the Irish president's official website.
The St Brigid’s Cross: The St Brigid’s Cross is woven from rushes for the feast of St Brigid on the first of February, the traditional first day of spring. It is hung above the door of the home where it was believed to protect the household from fire and harm, and a new cross is made each year. Brigid is one of Ireland’s three patron saints and is associated with peace, healing, and care for the poor. The cross remains a simple, handmade symbol of protection, welcome and peace in the home.
Navigatio Sancti Brendani – The Voyage of St Brendan: Navigatio Sancti Brendani is one of Ireland’s most important contributions to the culture of medieval Europe and is one of the most significant works of literature to have been produced during that period. It tells how Brendan of Clonfert, a sixth-century monk from Kerry, sailed into the Atlantic with his companions in a boat of wood and hide, seeking the Promised Land of the Saints, and of the wonders met on the way. It comes from an age when the Irish were a people of departure, and it endures as a story of faith, seafaring, and the search for the world’s edge. This edition, with introduction, translation and notes, was published in September 2026.
Michael Longley, Collected Poems: Michael Longley (1939 – 2025) was born in Belfast and is among the finest poets Ireland has produced. This volume, published in 2006, gathers the work of eight collections written across four decades. His work spans love, war, nature, and art. His sonnet ‘Ceasefire’, drawing on Homer, has become one of the defining Irish poems about what it is to forgive.
These are wonderful and very thoughtful gifts; so very Irish. We can only hope that President Trump seeks and is granted a little wisdom from St. Brigid, learns that Saint Brendan might actually have a stronger claim on Greenland than anybody, the president included, and that the poetry of Michael Longley might make for some late night reading and contemplation and will push aside those wee hours rants on Truth Social.
