Irish leaders naively thought Pence wouldn’t be a Trump puppet with malicious intentions:

Pence’s Brexit backing catches Dublin unawares

US vice-president’s unexpected support for British position on EU talks not expected

US vice-president Mike Pence leaves for London on Wednesday following a visit to Ireland that did not go entirely to plan. Pence made an unexpected intervention during his press conference with Taoiseach Leo Varadkar on Brexit that is far from helpful as Ireland enters a crucial period in the those negotiations.