Taoiseach Micheál Martin will mark St Patricks Day next Wednesday by celebrating with US President Joe Biden as part of a programme of virtual events across America from Government Buildings.
Mr Martin says he looks forward to meeting President Biden virtually and to bring him greetings from Ireland after Covid-19 prevented him from travelling to Washington.
The two leaders are expected to cover a broad agenda of issues, including the deep ties between the United States and Ireland as well as tackling Covid-19, improving the economic recovery and climate change.
Mr Martin will present President Biden with the traditional shamrock bowl and will meet with Vice President Kamala Harris. He will also meet with Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and with members of the US Congress Friends of Ireland Caucus, who mark their 40th anniversary on St Patricks Day.
The Taoiseachs programme commences on Monday from Government Buildings with a policy address to the Washington-based Brookings Institution in which he will set out his thinking on managing relations on and off the island in the post-Brexit context.
That evening, Mr Martin will speak at the US launch of From Whence I Came: The Kennedy Legacy, Ireland & America’, edited by Brian Murphy & Donnacha Ó Beacháin.
The event will also include a panel discussion with Samantha Power, former US Ambassador to the UN and Biden Administration nominee to lead USAID; Congressman Richie Neal, Co-Chair of the Friends of Ireland Caucus; and former Massachusetts Congressman and Kennedy family member Joe Kennedy III.
He will attend roundtables hosted by the US Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise Ireland, and the IDA and will speak at a public event hosted by the Congressional Friends of Ireland Caucus in association with the Pat and John Hume Foundation, and the Embassy of Ireland commemorating John Hume and the pivotal role he played in garnering US support for the peace process.
My visit is an opportunity to highlight how our mutually beneficial trade and investment relationship leaves both our economies well-positioned to bounce back quickly, Mr Martin said.
An Taoiseach says he will thank President Biden personally for his unstinting support for Ireland over many years, including in recent times for his support in helping to secure a positive outcome in the Brexit negotiations.
In a statement on Friday night, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said the meeting on St Patricks Day will reaffirm the deep, historic partnership and extraordinary people-to-people ties between the United States and Ireland.
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