Philip Ryan: 'Planes, brains and motorcades - a glimpse behind the velvet curtain'

Varadkar's face-to-face meeting with Johnson paved the way for a deal that could someday settle the issue

'Varadkar found Johnson very personable, intelligent and easy to deal with.'

Philip Ryan

There was always going to be some last-minute jitters. The weight of almost an entire continent was resting on the shoulders of the Irish negotiating team as their motorcade made its way from Brussels Airport to the European capital's city centre.

Unlike many government jets and an increasing number of commercial airlines, the State-owned Learjet does not have access to the internet. There is an old fashioned telephone in the cabin which is never used, so once you're in the air you are cut off from the outside world.

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