DUBLIN (Reuters) - Ireland will resume its traditional St. Patrick's Day diplomatic blitz next month, sending 32 ministers to destinations around the world from Argentina to Australia after COVID-19 kept officials at home last year.
The March 17 holiday is celebrated in cities far and wide, and successive Irish governments have used it to launch trade missions and meet influential politicians, including an annual bilateral meeting with the U.S. President in the White House.
The engagements were conducted virtually last year after a pared back contingent travelled just as Ireland's COVID-19 outbreak began in 2020. Then Prime Minister Leo Varadkar had to announce a work from home order and the closure of schools and universities from Washington.
The 2022 programme includes a meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden, who speaks proudly of his Irish heritage, as well as trips to eight other U.S. cities and countries such as Colombia, Chile, Lebanon and South Korea.