Taoiseach Micheál Martin said he was “the ultimate diplomat” by not raising Troy Parrott’s heroics with the new Hungarian prime minister during their meeting in Budapest.Martin discussed the priorities of the State’s EU presidency and conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East during a meeting with Péter Magyar on Thursday. “I was the ultimate diplomat,” said Martin, when asked whether the two discussed the November game between Hungary and Ireland in which Parrott scored a hat-trick that crushed Hungary’s 2026 World Cup dreams.The Taoiseach is the first leader to visit Hungary since Magyar’s landslide election victory in April that ended nationalist prime minister Viktor Orbán’s 16-year reign..Martin and Magyar both highlighted the similarities in their countries’ history. “It is clear that Irish and Hungarian people have shared a remarkable resilience ... that provided a strong foundation for the good relations we enjoy today, culturally and economically,” said Martin.Magyar praised the Republic’s “pragmatic and balanced approach” and welcomed the priorities of the Irish EU presidency, offering support for Irish plans to boost competitiveness.Martin said that the State, as president of the Council of the European Union, will work to “secure a step change in Europe’s economic performance through simplifying rules, deepening the single market, building our trade connections, reducing energy costs, and driving the AI [artificial intelligence] transformation”.Commenting on the recent United Nations report that cited the Republic’s data centre strain as a “cautionary” tale, Martin said his Government understands the issues and would examine the report. “Digitalisation, technological advances are happening, whether we like it or not. AI is happening. It will have increased energy demands,” said Martin. “On the other side, we’re pushing and driving forward the renewable story in Ireland, with particularly both onshore wind and offshore wind and then solar as well. And the linking of the two is going to be key, so decarbonisation and the digitalisation of the economy are not mutually exclusive.” Martin also held discussions with the Hungarian minister of foreign affairs Anita Orbán (not related to the former prime minister) and speaker of the National Assembly Ágnes Forsthoffer, before travelling to Tivat, Montenegro, from Budapest to attend the EU-Western Balkans Summit.