Sinn Féin was not invited to White House for St Patrick's Day events, US embassy says

Eva Osborne

Sinn Féin, which this week declared it would not attend St Patrick’s Day events in the White House, was not invited by the Trump administration, the US embassy has said.

In a statement issued to The Irish Times in response to questions, the US ambassador to Ireland, Edward Walsh, said that “no members of Sinn Féin have been invited to the White House, and none are expected to be invited”.

“Announcing a boycott of an event for which invitations have neither been extended nor finalised is premature,” said the ambassador.

Earlier this week, in a statement, the Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald said that no Sinn Féin representatives would attend the White House, citing the situation in Gaza.

“It is important that the eyes of the international community remain focused on what is happening in Palestine and it is important that Sinn Féin uses its voice to demand that international law is upheld and peace and justice prevail,” she said.

The Sinn Féin leader did not attend last year, the first year of president Donald Trump’s second term. However, Sinn Féin said that the party was operating on the basis that she would be invited again.

The ambassador’s statement says that there is strong demand for invitations to the Trump White House, according to The Irish Times.

“Demand to participate this year is the strongest we have ever seen, underscoring the depth and vitality of the US–Ireland partnership,” the statement said.