"It will be difficult to demonstrate how it's a great portfolio and make people engage with it in Ireland. It's not a great result," said a Government source.
"You reap what you show. Fianna Fáil misjudged Ursula - you have to take her as a whole, she's a pretty good president and quite popular."
A Fine Gael minister said trade and economic portfolios are "more important", adding that Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin "should have had more control" over his MEPs who voted against Ms von der Leyen.
Mr McGrath will also have to face down Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban, as his government refuses to pay a €200m EU Court fine for breaches of law on managing immigration and asylum-seeking.
[
Collection
]
[
|
...
]