The brand new office space, all pine green walls, wood panelled walls and brown leather, is an impressive facility, bringing together the consulate and offices of Tourism Ireland, Bord Bia, Enterprise Ireland, IDA Ireland, CIE Tours, and the Ireland Funds under one roof on the 17th floor of the iconic MetLife Building.

Here, on Tuesday, Tánaiste Micheál Martin cut the ribbon and waxed lyrical about the Irish contribution to the city that never sleeps and the US generally.

But just a couple blocks to the east, with the UN General Assembly kicking off, there was a stark reminder that Ireland's influence, while oversized, only goes so far.

While the assembled world leaders asked what might be done about Israel's opening up of a second front in its war in the Middle East, about the ongoing humanitarian catastrophes in Gaza and Sudan, the elephant in the room arrived in a 90-second motorcade.

Joe Biden took to the stage for a valedictory speech that had more of the hallmarks of a lifetime achievement acceptance award than a clarion call for peace. 

Mr Biden dedicated a minimal amount of time of his speech to the Middle East, warning only that an all-out war would be a disaster for the region, before launching into a lengthy treatise on AI.

Taoiseach Simon Harris said that he was "conscious of respecting the fact that other countries have to decide their own foreign policy" and that Ireland's position is "extremely clear in relation to this", but said that he was not going to involve himself in US foreign policy.

Both Mr Harris and Tánaiste Micheál Martin argued that Mr Biden is doing all that he can to secure a ceasefire in the region.

Mr Biden is a fan of quoting Heaney, but while more bombs drop on Lebanon and on Gaza, he will be implored to read the poem on that glass high above Manhattan about The Republic of Conscience: 

Their embassies, he said, were everywhere but operated independently, and no ambassador would ever be relieved.