Raymona Crozier
BBC News NI
Reporting fromWashington D.C.
BBC
Isaac Burke, brother of Enoch Burke was forcibly removed from the National Building Museum on Thursday evening
A St Patrick’s Day event involving the Taoiseach (Irish PM) has been disrupted by members of a high-profile evangelical Christian family from the Republic of Ireland.
Relatives of Enoch Burke were forcibly removed from the evening gala in Washington D.C. after heckling speeches.
Mr Burke is a teacher from County Mayo who has been in a long running court battle after he refused to use the pronouns preferred by a student transitioning to a different gender.
It is not clear how Burke’s mother and two of his siblings entered the private gala without tickets, but the family arrived shortly after Micheál Martin gave his speech at the event.
Enoch Burke’s sister, mother and brother speaking with media after they were removed from the Ireland Funds Gala in Washington D.C.
This year’s Ireland Funds Gala was being held against the backdrop of a looming tariff war between the US and EU.
Micheál Martin used his speech to press the importance of the ‘two-way street’ of US-Irish investment.
He said that “Ireland and the US have a significant and mutually beneficial economic relationship”.
US President, Donald Trump has threatened to impose 200% tariffs on alcohol from the European Union countries. It is in retaliation against the EU bloc’s planned levies on US-produced whiskey.
In response, the Taoiseach said the only way to resolve a deepening trade dispute between the US and EU is “through dialogue”.
“Ireland has grown to be in the top ten as a source of foreign direct investment into the US, supporting the jobs of hundreds of thousands of people across the US. These extraordinary numbers illustrate the importance of a positive transatlantic trading relationship” he added.
‘Tell me a world leader who doesn’t have peculiarities’
Speaking to BBC Northern Ireland’s Sunday Politics programme, Ian Paisley said he believes that Donald Trump should be given a chance. Paisley is a long-time friend of the US President, having first met him in 2003 along with his father Ian.
Trump’s son Eric has also stayed with the Paisley family in Northern Ireland.
“You tell me a world leader who doesn’t have peculiarities, we’ve got to work, if we can work together we can hopefully get a result” he said.
Also attending the Ireland Funds Gala was former Taoiseach, Enda Kenny.
He said that trade was always difficult between parts of the world but advised Europe “to be vigilant, be nimble, be upfront, and be strong in your beliefs and principles and hope for the best”.
A former advisor to President Trump, Patrick Wilson described the current trade discussions as “rough and tumble”.
“I don’t think Irish people are very unsurprised by that kind of negotiation, right? Like that is normal haggling that goes on. And I think you know, where we end up is where we have always been, which is that Ireland, the UK, the EU, will continue to be close allies, but they need to play fair” he added.
‘People will find their way out of it’
Susan Davis, the President of Irish American Republicans described the current workings of the US administration as “a little bit rough on people” but believes “people will find their way out of it”.
She said she wasn’t worried about any trade dispute and believed the Taoiseach’s performance during his week in the United States was “phenomenal”.
