When we could barely afford to send our Taoiseach to America
Friday December 29 2006
Things were so bad that plans for an expensive present to the Americans were ditched to save money for the fares of Liam Cosgrave and his party.
This is just one of several stories from 30 years ago which paint a picture of doom and gloom in sharp contrast to the booming Celtic Tiger.
There was murder and violence as the Northern troubles spilled blood on both sides of the border.
And our economic dire straits echoed the blackness of the era. All is revealed in the 1976 State papers. They show how the Government could barely afford to pay fares to the US for the Taoiseach's visit.
The St Patrick's Day trip was being paid for by the US Government - apart from the Irish delegation's air fares.
The price of an air ticket for the Taoiseach's son - Liam T Cosgrave - and a discussion about the Taoiseach's wife Vera wearing a hat also topped the agenda for the visit.
The Government had originally planned to present 'The Orderly Book of General Burgoyne for the Saratoga Campaign'.
It was worth £5,000 but the Government decided to bring a cheaper present worth just £160 when the air fares problem arose.
As part of the preparations for the US visit, Vera Cosgrave was warned not to upstage America's First Lady by wearing a hat during the official trip.
The US embassy advised Mrs Cosgrave to bring long dresses for dinner but not a hat, because Mrs Ford "does not ordinarily wear hats".
The purchase of a plane ticket for the couple's son, Liam T Cosgrave, was a more contentious issue.
The Taoiseach agreed to pay his son's air fare but "his expense while there will be met by the US government".
- Clodagh Sheehy
