Here, we examine the issues expected to shape political debate in the days ahead, reports Breaking News.
US President Donald Trump’s want to purchase Greenland, are raising fears of an international crisis, reports Breaking News.
Mr Trump has repeatedly declined to rule out US military action in the autonomous Danish territory, a stance that has placed the future of Nato under strain.
Against this backdrop, attention is already turning to Taoiseach Micheál Martin’s traditional St Patrick’s Day visit to the White House, reports Breaking News.
Mr Martin came through last year’s meeting without difficulty, but the stakes are now considerably higher.
People Before Profit TD Richard Boyd Barrett said it would be inappropriate for Mr Martin to present Donald Trump with a bowl of shamrock this year, reports Breaking News.
Speaking in the Dáil, he said: “So please, tell me Taoiseach, are you going to stand up to the bully? You’re not seriously going to the White House with shamrock this year to celebrate our national day with him?
“Surely you’re going to tell US troops to get out of Shannon Airport, and not going to go along with the militarisation agenda that Trump is imposing on Europe,” he said, reports Breaking News.
Meanwhile, Labour leader Ivana Bacik told Virgin Media News: “There has to be a willingness to stand up to Trump and it does mean from an Irish point of view that the Taoiseach must be prepared not to go to Washington if Trump does not back down in the meantime, because we have to use every lever at our disposal,” reports Breaking News.
Mr Martin has maintained that the visit will proceed as normal.
Speaking today, Minister for Social Protection Dara Calleary said “very few countries get the opportunity” of “access to the president of the United States of America on an annual basis for a number of hours”, reports Breaking News.
“It’s a chance for him, as he did last year, to discuss face to face with the president various issues.”
Mr Calleary added: “At whatever point those issues will be, in the middle of March, it’ll be a chance for a face to face discussion for dialogue, which is always important at any time, particularly in times of pressure,” reports Breaking News.
An Irish MEP has said the only way to “deal with Donald Trump” over his Greenland tariff threats is to stand up to him.
Fianna Fáil MEP Barry Andrews was recently appointed rapporteur for the European Parliament’s position on EU-Greenland relations, reports Breaking News.
In an interview with BreakingNews.ie, he said: “There is a realisation on the European side that a red line has been crossed in terms of what Trump has said he’s going to do.
“It had a strangely positive impact on the EU member states in bringing them together in a way that happened with Ukraine. It’s a really deep solidarity with the people of Greenland and Denmark.
“We need to make sure we exhaust every possible diplomatic pathway before any escalation is considered. There are ways to do that at EU level and individual member state level, including Ireland,” he said, reports Breaking News.
He said the EU’s Anti-Coercion Instrument, known as the “bazooka”, should be examined alongside the planned €93 billion in retaliatory tariffs.
“This is an escalation if the threatened tariffs actually go ahead, so it’s contingent on that actually happening and diplomatic efforts failing.
“If we do get to that point those tariffs have already been identified, €93 billion worth, they should be proceeded with in parallel with an investigation into the anti-coercion instrument. It puts all those levers on the table for the EU and I think it’s clear that the only way to deal with Donald Trump is to stand up to him,” he said, reports Breaking News.
Ireland’s defence capabilities were described as “embarrassing” in messages sent to Taoiseach Micheál Martin following reports of drones near the flight path of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s plane during a recent visit.
The drones came as close as 500 metres to the Irish naval vessel LÉ William Butler Yeats, but officers decided not to shoot them down due to the presence of civilian aircraft in Irish airspace, reports Breaking News.
They were also spotted over north-east Dublin as the aircraft carrying Mr Zelenskiy landed at Dublin Airport.
While the source of the drones remains unknown, security experts suspected they were Russian. Commenting afterwards, Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan said the drones were “generated for the purpose of putting pressure on EU and Ukrainian interests”, reports Breaking News.
Messages obtained by BreakingNews.ie through a Freedom of Information request show members of the public told the Taoiseach that Ireland’s security arrangements were “embarrassing” and called for increased defence spending.
One person wrote: “The fact that enemy drones are able to operate freely in Irish airspace is more than a worry, it is embarrassing. As a country, our inability to defend against enemy aggression is frightening,” reports Breaking News.
In another email, the incident was described as a “stark, undeniable illustration of the systemic vulnerabilities that have been repeatedly raised by defence and security experts”.
“I am writing to express my profound alarm at the recent incident in which several drones – reported as advanced, non-hobby-grade platforms – entered the temporary no-fly zone established around President Zelensky’s visit and subsequently loitered near an Irish Naval Service vessel off the Dublin coast. Regardless of the origin of these platforms or the intent of the operators, the fact remains that Ireland was unable to detect, prevent, or interdict aerial activity occurring in restricted airspace at a moment of heightened sensitivity and international visibility.
“This episode is not an isolated embarrassment; it is a stark, undeniable illustration of the systemic vulnerabilities that have been repeatedly raised by defence and security experts. Ireland currently lacks the radar, the technical infrastructure, the interception capability, and the personnel capacity required to meaningfully enforce its own jurisdiction—whether in the air, at sea, or around critical subsea infrastructure.
“We now find ourselves in a geopolitical environment defined by hybrid conflict, strategic coercion, and grey-zone operations. Across Europe, hostile actors have used drones to disrupt airports, threaten civil aviation, surveil sensitive infrastructure, and interfere with undersea cables that underpin the digital economy. These are not theoretical risks—they are documented realities affecting EU partners today,” reports Breaking News.
Attention remains firmly on Greenland as the Davos summit continues, with Donald Trump due to address the forum on Wednesday.
His speech is scheduled for 2.30pm and is expected to be closely watched across the EU and beyond, reports Breaking News.
Asked at a lengthy press conference at the White House on Tuesday how far he would go on Greenland, Mr Trump said “you’ll find out”.
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