Let me set the scene:

The anchors at CNBC’s Squawk Box are speaking with IDA Ireland CEO Martin Shanahan about tax issues in Ireland. It’s a proper professional interview with two of the best anchors — Becky Quick and Andrew Ross-Sorkin.

But there’s a third interviewer and it’s Joe Kernan who is wisely keeping quiet until about 7 minutes in after Becky asks a question about the euro.

Kernan is so cringe-worthy on so many levels that it’s hard to watch.

Joe Kernan

Joe Kernan

Let this sink in, Joe Kernan has a master’s degree in molecular biology from MIT and he doesn’t know that Ireland isn’t on the same island as England.