This is Leo Varadkar, he is our Taoiseach.
For those of you who don’t speak Irish, Taoiseach translates to Prime Minister and is pronounced Tee-Shock (depending on your accent!).
Leo has been our Taoiseach for almost 4 years and, in my humble opinion, has always done a great job.
On St Patrick’s Day, 17th March 2020, Leo addressed our nation.
Calm, collected and astute, Leo spoke to us about the global epidemic that has changed the history of the world and on that day changed the traditions of our National Day. Leo delivered his address with grace and composure but also with the seriousness and conviction, that a global epidemic with lives at stake, deserves. This address secured Leo’s place as one of our great Leaders.
A great Leader embodies the below qualities of which Leo has in bucketfuls,
Gratitude – Leo expressed sincere gratitude and respect to so many who are literally keeping our country going ‘not just our healthcare staff but also our army cadets, librarians and civil servants who are learning how to do contact tracing. The early education and childcare workers, the teachers and lecturers, people who are stocking our shelves every day, and those who are serving customers. Our hauliers and all who have kept our supply chain moving, our journalists and broadcasters who are helping to inform and educate. All are deserving of our respect and thanks.’
Connection to the community – Leo spoke warmly about plans to protect the vulnerable in our society calling them ‘the most precious’. He showed great understanding of the pain of grandparents having to stay away from their grandchildren advising to utilise technology to stay in touch. He also spoke to our young people and advised them to keep up their homework and call their grandparents.
A family man – Leo is a trained hospital Doctor and GP, leaving his medical profession behind to follow his passion for politics. He told us his partner Matthew, his two sisters and both their husbands are working in the health service – here in Ireland and in the UK and he is ‘so proud of all of them’.
Reassuring & Understanding – throughout his entire speech Leo provided reassurance that ‘we will get through this and we will prevail’, even in the midst of a global pandemic with so many unknowns, his efforts to reassure came across as sincere. The economic fallout affects everyone and he reassured us that all will be done to support us by saying ‘We went into this crisis with a strong economy and the public finances in good order. We have the capacity and credit rating to borrow billions if we need to’.
Communication & Honesty – Leo has spoken before about how he likes to be honest and that this can get him into trouble. Wouldn’t you rather have a Leader who is honest with you than not? In terms of the Covid-19 pandemic Leo has certainly always been as honest with us as possible and has stayed on top of communications to the nation and with global leaders.
Decision Making – prior to his address on St Patrick’s Day, Leo has shown great decision making by closing schools in Ireland starting on Friday 13th March – a brave decision when the path of the virus was still unknown (as it remains today). Closing pubs and restaurants in Ireland the weekend before St Patrick’s Day is no small decision to make but it was made swiftly and with conviction. These decisions have no doubt saved many lives on our island.
Inclusivity – great Leaders include everyone. At the end of his speech, Leo uses the 4 words ‘We are with you’ many times leaving us in no doubt that his mission is greater than himself, greater than his country and is more of a global mission.
Leo’s entire message and how he delivered it showed sincere empathy for everyone in Ireland and across the world. What people need most from a Leader is to know the Leader cares for them, to know the Leader protects them, to know the Leader is communicating openly with them and to know that the Leader has their back, no matter what.
Leo certainly ticks all those boxes for me. I have been a fan of Leo’s for many years, first hearing about him back in 2011 when I was in the early days of my Travel Photography journey and he was Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport. He has always had charisma, sincerity, integrity and has always been relatable, personable and a real people person.
As the number of Covid-19 confirmed cases and fatalities increase in Ireland and across the globe, I have no doubt Leo’s Leadership and the team he surrounds himself with has saved many lives on our island and has not only slowed down the spread of Covid-19 in Ireland but also globally.
Below is Leo’s address to Ireland on St Patrick’s Day, 17th March, 2020. You can view the full text of Leo’s speech linked here.
Just like Leo, I am sending you all a message of friendship and of hope from Ireland wherever you are,
Thanks for reading, stay safe,
Siobhain
x x x
