Get Enda to do a speech for €22k? Oh, that’s an error

A BRITISH firm supplying bookings for high-profile public speakers has removed an advert for Enda Kenny from its website, saying ‘it shouldn’t be up there, it’s a mistake’.

The Irish Daily Mail yesterday contacted Speakers Associates, based in Maidenhead, Berkshire, southeast England, over reports it was advertising the former taoiseach’s services.

The fee listed for a speech by Mr Kenny was upwards of €22,000 – the price bracket reserved for the agency’s most sought-after speakers.

However, when contacted by this newspaper, a man claiming to be the firm’s owner seemed perplexed that the former taoiseach appeared on the website.

He said: ‘That shouldn’t be up there, it’s a mistake. I have to speak to my IT department because he is not one of our speakers.

‘I would love to have him, but he is not one of ours. We must take that down immediately.’

The owner went on to say that ‘97% of the speakers on our site are represented by us, but not him’.

Just minutes after the phone call ended, all references to Mr Kenny had been removed from the site.

In addition to a biography about Mr Kenny, the website had embedded his Twitter feed, as well as videos of his St Patrick’s Day speech at the White House, and his final speech in the Dáil as Taoiseach. Ad: Kenny appeared on website

‘His St Patrick’s Day speech at the White House about the value of immigration in front of US president Donald Trump was viewed more than 30million times,’ the website read.

It also noted: ‘As a speaker he is captivating and memorable, whose expertise and experience in leading Ireland through its worst recession provides valuable insight to his audiences.’

The website also contained a list of Mr Kenny’s political achievements, including his leadership of Fine Gael from 2002 to 2017, and his 2011 general election win.

The Mail sought comment from the former taoiseach on the matter, but had not received a response at the time of going to print.

Mr Kenny isn’t the only Irish public figure who has appeared on the speaker-for-hire website.

Graham Norton and Bob Geldof are two of the agency’s most indemand speakers, while comedian Dara Ó Briain, former president Mary Robinson and ex-Formula One boss Eddie Jordan are also among the highest-paid orators on its books.