Yesterday, I attended the inaugural lecture of the Maxeke – Robinson Irish Studies Chair at UWC. This is just one of the many projects initiated by the dynamic and inspiring Irish Ambassador to South Africa, Fionnuala Gilsenan. The speaker was Micheál Martin the Irish Tánaiste (Deputy Prime Minister), who is also the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Defence. That’s Paul Mashatile, Thandi Modise and Naledi Pandor all in one. 

Ireland could certainly teach us something about getting our tax-rands-worth from our cabinet ministers. 

Listening to Minister Martin, I was reminded why I love and admire the Irish so much. I am very partial to politicians and celebrities who - as the Irish would say – don’t get ahead of themselves. There is little tolerance in Ireland for self-importance, which would explain why Bono still visits his local pub, Queens in Dalkey, without much more than a “how’s it goin” from the locals. 

Minister Martin arrived yesterday together with the Ambassador and a small component of staff in what looked like a mini-bus taxi. No blue lights, no fuss… he just came to do the work. 

His speech explained some of the reasons for Ireland’s phenomenal progression from a very poor, colonised state to one of the wealthiest in the EU, warning that it was decades in the making and not always a linear progression.

Policies to focus on inward investments and exports informed much of what was done from the late 1950’s.

Agencies that would focus on investment and exports were established and did phenomenal work. Lower corporate tax rates also encouraged large multinationals to locate to Ireland. Of course, Ireland’s decision to join the EEC (which would later become the EU) played a big role in their economic growth.

However, Minister Martin was at pains to emphasise the importance of education. Ireland decided in 1967 to make education free for all children and implemented free transport to the schools. Today, even tertiary education remains almost free with only a small registration fee. 

The resulting highly educated work-force would become a major attraction for other international call centres as well as big tech and pharma. Companies like Google, Meta, and LinkedIn all have their European headquarters in Dublin and most of the world’s Viagra is made in Ireland. (Some would argue it’s their most important export). 

Minister Martin also spoke about the history Ireland and South Africa share. He mentioned the Irish soldiers who fought in the Anglo Boer War, the role Jannie Smuts played in negotiating the peace agreement that led to the establishment of the free state of Ireland as well as the Dunnes workers strike (when workers in the biggest supermarket would not check out South African produce during Apartheid). Of course, there is also the famous story of how Professor Kader Asmal (in exile in Ireland) and Justice Albie Sacks drafted our Bill of Rights at the Asmals’ kitchen table in Dublin. 

Years ago, the retired President Mandela and our current President Cyril Ramaphosa visited Ireland to attend the Special Olympics. This was not Madiba’s first visit to Ireland. He addressed the Irish Parliament (and nation) in 1990 shortly after his release – something that made a huge impact on the Irish including Minister Martin, who was a young politician at the time. 

President Ramaphosa would later play a big role in the peace talks which led to the historic Good Friday Agreement 25 years ago. 

Minister Martin told the story of how in 1997 the parties in Northern Ireland, who refused to be in the same room at home, travelled to Cape Town to hear directly from Nelson Mandela and the parties involved in the negotiations here. The organisers had to arrange separate travel routes for the two delegations so they wouldn’t accidentally meet in an airport along the way and separate buses and arrival times. The accommodation and meeting rooms had to be separate and two bars were provided so they wouldn’t have to drink together. 

As Minister Martin put it: “Ireland had brought Apartheid back to South Africa.”

Hilariously, when one bar was discovered to be smaller than the other, it had to be completely rebuilt, which the South African hosts kindly did. 

After the Good Friday Agreement, President Ramaphosa played a key role in the sticky issue of the verification of  the decommissioning of IRA weapons. The story is often told in Northern Ireland, of how Cyril Ramaphosa walked through cold forests and climbed into barns and under farmhouses to remove weapons. 

During question time, I asked Minister Martin, what advice he would have about coalition building since Ireland currently has an interesting and successful coalition arrangement. (The two biggest parties took turns to occupy the Taoiseach or prime minister position). His answer was fascinating. Amongst others he stated that agreed policies and a joint government programme are crucial. “Ultimately,” he stated, “it is important that the country’s interests come before those of the individual political party’s”.  

So true. 

He paused for a second and then added: “…and no egos. There should be no place for egos and personalities in politics – especially in coalitions”. 

For me this was the highlight of his speech. There is much that we can learn from Ireland, but the letting go of egos and personality-driven politics is perhaps the single most important lesson for us as we head into 2024.