ANALYSIS:Brian Cowen initiated what he hopes will be a new era in Irish-US relations with his visit to New York this week, writes Deaglán De Bréadún.
NAPOLEON FAMOUSLY said he wanted lucky generals but it has to be said that, with the Lisbon Treaty result and the downturn in the economy, Taoiseach Brian Cowen has enjoyed little in the way of luck since he took office at the beginning of May.
All that seemed to change this week when he arrived in New York. There's a long Irish tradition of people who were down on their luck coming to the New World and experiencing a change in their fortunes. Maybe this was Cowen's version of the American Dream.
Cowen has had a good trip. For one thing, he had close on €50 million in new transatlantic investments to announce. All taoisigh like to have some goodies in their pocket when they go abroad, especially at a time like this when the cupboard is starting to look bare.
The Taoiseach's speech at the New York Stock Exchange on Wednesday was well received. The message was in line with what Cowen has been saying, ever since the economic clouds began to darken. It's not so much, "Don't worry, be happy" as, "Hold on tight, don't panic, there's a better time coming". But there's no concealing the deep anxiety that business people feel over here, not about the state of the Irish economy but about their own. On the first day of the Taoiseach's visit, the New York Times featured a front-page picture of people queuing anxiously outside a bank as the credit crunch rocks financial institutions.
As in Ireland's case, but of course on a much bigger scale, the housing bubble has burst and shockwaves are being felt throughout the US - with serious implications for Ireland. Following his address at breakfast, the Taoiseach went on to ring the bell to initiate the day's trading on the stock exchange. Wondrous to relate, shares went up on the day. Cowen was sharing some of his new-found luck.
But as he made his way from one engagement to another, the sound of grapeshot began to be heard and the blaze of battle could be seen on a far-off horizon. The aftermath of the Lisbon Treaty and the forthcoming visit of President Sarkozy were becoming a major issue back home and cast a shadow on the Taoiseach and his entourage, even in the New York sunshine.
Cowen's response was in line with his usual, "don't panic, it'll be all right on the night" approach. He would hold discussions with the French president. No decision was imminent regarding Lisbon. He would report back to the next EU summit in October. Don't get overexcited, lads.
But it was clear from the faces of his entourage that Merrion Street was less than happy with the Élysée's conduct of affairs. At a time when delicacy and tact were sorely needed, the French seemed to be displaying neither.
At different times during the week, he articulated his vision of Ireland's relationship with the US and how it will evolve in the future. It's no longer a one-way street. Irish companies are active right across the US and have created 80,000 jobs for Americans. A well-educated workforce back home has learned a lot from high-tech, frontline US multinationals and are applying these lessons in starting their own businesses in Ireland. It is no longer a case of the US assisting in the redress of Irish grievances: both countries now stand on their own two feet.
It was noteworthy that the Taoiseach confined his itinerary to New York. In previous times it would have been a case of going to Washington to ask for help with the latest delicate stage of the Northern Ireland peace process.
Those days are mercifully over, for now anyways, and the new priority is maintaining and developing our new-found prosperity in co-operation with the US and the EU. Rumours were being put about on Wall Street about Ireland's economic prospects and it was said that one of the purposes of Cowen's visit was to nail these before they gained credibility.
Compared with many countries, Ireland has an enviable position in the US political, diplomatic and commercial hierarchy. Observing the attendance at Irish America magazine's Wall Street 50 awards dinner for top business people, held in the opulent New York Yacht Club on Thursday night, one could not help wondering how many other small countries could rally this kind of support and goodwill. When it comes to the American scene, Ireland has a head start.
Cowen clearly feels at home in New York. He has close family relatives here and was obviously in his element addressing the Irish and Irish-American audience at a packed reception in the Irish Consulate on Park Avenue on Wednesday evening.
Prior to the reception, he met groups representing the "undocumented" or illegal immigrants whose numbers have reportedly begun to increase with the decline in the Irish economy. After these meetings, lobbyists were cock-a-hoop. At last there was an Irish Government representative who understood the problem and was prepared to work wholeheartedly in tandem with campaigners on the ground to resolve this long-running issue.
Certainly Cowen is well placed to understand the plight of the new Irish in the US. As a student 30 years ago, he spent five months working with an Italian demolition company in Manhattan, coming home to his uncle's house at night covered with the day's grime.
He also played football at Gaelic Park and he quipped in one of his speeches that, at the time, you were better off playing on the wing because grass was so scarce in the middle of the field.
His feelings towards the US go beyond identification with the Irish immigrant community and their descendants; he made it clear that he regards Ireland and America as partners on the political level too.
In his Wall Street 50 speech, delivered in the animated, as distinct from perfunctory, Cowen mode, he said Ireland had opened up "not only economically and socially but psychologically as well", and what was previously a highly dispersed nation had rapidly changed into a diverse country with many new ethnic strands.
In an important passage, he said: "Americans need to know that the new political generation in Ireland is not only deeply appreciative of what America has done for us thus far, but we know there are things that we can do for America to make sure that America is better understood, that America's position in the world is given the respect that it deserves, and you should be aware that under my leadership that will be a very important facet of Irish policy."
He told his audience there would be a "strategic review" of the US-Irish relationship, with Ambassador Michael Collins reporting back to him by the end of the year. Collins is an extremely able diplomat and his report will be well worth reading. How exactly the relationship with the US can change from what it is now is an intriguing question. One hopes that the turbulence of the presidential election will not distract the American side too much in the course of the dialogue.
Oddly reminiscent of Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams, who has also spoken of the energising effect of visiting America, Cowen said that coming to New York gave him "a great sense of replenishment, a great sense that when we go back home that we have things to do".
You're right there, Taoiseach.
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Deaglán de Bréadún is Political Correspondent