Our Irish connections

The Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs, Micheal Martin, is on his way to Havana for the first ever visit to Cuba by an Irish government minister.

And to mark this historic occasion, the Irish press has published extensive background reports on Fidel Castro's island paradise, often repeating the same old lines about "free" education, "excellent" health care services, the US "blockade", blah, blah, blah ...

But among all the predictable silliness, there are some gems, including this commendable attempt by John Moran from the Irish Times to link the two island nations.

According to his research, Cubans see Ireland in "a very positive light" as both nations share a "similarly turbulent history in the shadow of a powerful neighbour".

"Ireland has another advantage in that we have prominent blood ties to the island – and not just Ernesto 'Che' Guevara (Lynch)," an enthusiastic Mr Moran writes. "One of the founders of the Cuban communist party, Julio Antonio Mella, who is greatly revered in Cuba, had an Irish mother, Cecilia McPartland. And researchers have claimed that Eamon de Valera’s father emigrated from Cuba to the US in the 19th century."

So, there you go - from the Emerald Isle to the Caribbean. Just like that.