3 - The US Diplomat’s Life in Ireland

Summary

The US diplomat’s first official encounter with official Ireland reveals much about his interest in the new post and the attitudes of the host administration towards him and his country. But how did the diplomat then create their social circle as a tool of soft power? They needed to avoid cause offense to any group while still promoting their country’s interests. Interacting with de Valera’s ideal of a Gaelic, Roman Catholic, republican Ireland presented the diplomat with many potential social as well as political dangers. The chapter argues that de Valera cultivated a close relationship with John Cudahy in particular believing that the American sympathised with the Irish case for unity and in the existence of a special relationship. But de Valera failed to realise that US envoys were obliged to get as close as possible to leaders just as he wanted Irish diplomats to do in the United States