Enda Kenny spent his last night in office singing Beatles tunes, according to American tourists who met the former Taoiseach in a Dublin pub before he resigned.

Writing for The Philadelphia Inquirer, Ruth Stoolman recounted how she and her husband spent an hour and half in private conversation with the former Fine Gael leader.

Ms Stoolman was visiting a popular pub in Dublin with her husband to hear some local musicians on their last night in the country.

She said her husband spotted the then Taoiseach celebrating his last night in office with a group of young aides.

They introduced themselves and were met with a warm welcome.

“I expected a quick hello, a handshake, and possibly a photo. Nearly an hour and a half later, we were still there, in a private conversation with the prime minister of Ireland,” Ms Stoolman said.

Ms Stoolman described Mr Kenny as "charming and educated".

“He was so easy to talk to, witty and funny. He was genuinely interested in our lives and our trip. At one point, I almost forgot who he was and was simply enjoying joking with an amiable Irishman,” she said.

She said they spoke about the importance of family and following your dreams and the Taoiseach recited from Yeats’ poetry and quoted American President John F. Kennedy’s moon mission speech.

“Robert asked if he was writing a book. (Absolutely not, he said.) And yes, we talked politics. We even sang a few Beatles tunes,” she added.

Ms Stoolman said she found the whole experience "surreal".

Online Editors