The ICMSA agm saw John Bruton give the fallout from the UK’s decision to leave the EU an intense focus. He likened the threat from the instability created by Brexit, Donald Trump’s election and the emergence of the political right across Europe, from France to Austria, as being akin to the 1930s when protectionism deepened the economic depression.

Bruton spoke of the need for Ireland to remain positive to Europe, and not revisit our insularity during that period, when we engaged in the economic war with Britain.

In the audience was Ned O’Keeffe. The former Fianna Fáil minister congratulated his old adversary on his address but took issue with the Fine Gael man’s negative assessment of the economic war.

O’Keeffe defended it as a time when the young Irish State asserted itself under Éamon de Valera’s leadership.

A farmer was overheard afterwards saying: “Those two are still fighting over the economic war. Even though they can’t remember it.”

His friend shot back: “They mightn’t remember it, but they haven’t forgotten it.”

Meanwhile, in Brussels, there were some feisty exchanges in relation to Brexit. DUP MEP Diane Dods, finger wagging, demanded to know what guarantees Phil Hogan and Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström would give “to all of our farmers that they will set aside the background noise and will seek market access that is mutually beneficial”.

Hogan quickly reminded her that the UK made the decision to go out of the EU; it wasn’t the EU deciding to throw out the UK.

“I’m sure you have thought out all of the implications of doing this very carefully before you made that decision, so that is all I will say about that for the moment,” he told the pro-Brexit campaigner. Ouch.

Commissioner Malmström then took exception to being described by Sinn Féin MEP Matt Carthy as the Donald Trump of European politics, to which she replied that throwing around insults on neo-liberalism or Trump was not very helpful to increasing the dialogue.

MEP Luke ‘Ming’ Flanagan queried the transparency of the Canadian-EU CETA negotiations, saying that accessing the library to read and record negotiation texts was like getting through the Berlin Wall.

Hogan hit back, saying that he knew Flanagan was a good environmentalist with the protection of the boglands of Ireland, and that he would see this deal as very positive for setting standards.