Daniel McConnell

So there's a lot of people, I'd say, both in the Department of Finance and the Department of Foreign Affairs here watching the movements of all of this very, very closely.

I think they're on a constant watching brief, Clare, in terms of that, you know, while Donald Trump may say they're OK for now, there is always a fear that, you know, he might take umbrage at something.

He might just, you know, unilaterally decide to go off on a solar run and do real damage.

And that's always been the fear.

I think that will constantly be the fear until Donald Trump leaves office.

So I think while they're doing their best to try and keep their head down, and you just see it in the utterances from governments, not only in the EU and elsewhere, they've been trying to tiptoe around Donald Trump on many issues, but Farmer in particular is the one that we're obviously most exposed on.

And so far, I think they could breathe a sigh of relief.

But of course, I would say within government and the people I was speaking to this morning, they're making it very clear, you know, just because we may have dodged a bullet on this occasion, we could very well be in the firing line inadvertently.

Like Trump may decide to go

to war with Britain or Germany and we find ourselves in the firing line.

And that's always the danger, given the concentration of the, I suppose, the foreign direct investment here in Ireland, that we are always likely, at some point, likely to be in the firing line and the crosshairs.

Hello and welcome to the Business Post podcast with me, Danny McConnell.

And me, Peter O'Doar.

Now, we have written a lot in the Business Post in recent times about all things infrastructure, building the country, moving on what we need to do.

But it's rare enough that we get the insight of people who are actually doing the building.

People are actually doing the construction, liaising with governments, dealing with other partners or interested parties, giving an overview, I suppose, where we stand vis-a-vis other countries or how we stand in terms of our own planning.

deficiencies, et cetera, here.

So, Peter, you did the interview with our guest this week, Francois Basselot of Egress.

I hope I haven't bastardized that pronunciation.

Only as badly as I did, so don't worry.