He must be the unluckiest Taoiseach in the world.
After spending over two years leading the country through a global pandemic, Micheál Martin was finally getting the opportunity to travel the world and do what all Taoisigh dream of.
In the days leading up to St Patrick’s Day, Mr Martin was excited about heading to the White House to meet US President Joe Biden in a moment that would go down in the history books.
But what was meant to be a significant career and personal moment for the Taoiseach, quickly turned to chaos on Wednesday night after he received a positive Covid-19 test, robbing him of the honour of representing Ireland on the global stage.
It seemed like Mr Martin was the happiest he has ever been in his capacity as Taoiseach while mingling in Washington DC.
It was evident on his face throughout the early stages of the trip that this meant the world to him and his wife Mary, who travelled with him to the States.
But in the back of his mind, he was conscious about catching the disease having travelled from Versailles and the UK days before he landed in the US.
It has been 12 years since a Fianna Fáil leader sat in the Oval Office beside a US President and who knows when another will have that chance again.
You would have to have a heart made of stone not to feel sorry for Micheál Martin as he dialled in from Blair House, a two minute walk from the White House, for his meeting with Joe Biden.
So near and yet so far.
