Taoiseach Leo Varadkar will travel to Washington DC today to take part in three days of engagements that will culminate with a meeting with US President Joe Biden on St Patrick’s Day.
As previously reported by the Irish Mirror, it is now widely believed that Mr Biden will visit Ireland at the end of April to coincide with the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement.
It is expected that Mr Biden could announce details of his trip when he meets the Taoiseach for the traditional exchange of a bowl of Shamrock in the White House on Friday.
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The Taoiseach will be in Washington for official engagements on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. His delegation is expected to arrive in Washington on Tuesday.
It is expected that Mr Varadkar will meet with a number of Irish groups on Wednesday, before attending the Ireland Funds gala dinner that evening. The swanky event costs $1,000 per plate.
The event will be attended by the US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and US Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy. It was attended by US President Joe Biden last year.
However, the event hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons when then-Taoiseach Micheál Martin had to be whisked out of the dinner when it emerged that he had tested positive for Covid-19. The news was later announced on stage by then Ireland Ambassador to the US Dan Mulhall.
On Thursday morning, Mr Varadkar will speak at an event at Georgetown University called “Women at the Helm: The Unfinished Business of Northern Ireland’s Good Friday Agreement”.
Former US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is also scheduled to speak at the event. She and her husband, former US President Bill Clinton played an instrumental role in the Good Friday Agreement in 1998.
Former Irish President Mary Robinson and Sinn Féin vice president Michelle O’Neill will also speak at the event.
Mr Varadkar will attend a number of other events throughout Thursday, before heading to the Embassy of Ireland’s traditional St Patrick’s Day reception that evening.
The biggest day of the trip will be St Patrick’s Day on Friday. Mr Varadkar will first attend a breakfast hosted by US Vice President Kamala Harris.
The Taoiseach will then travel to the White House for a bi-lateral meeting with Mr Biden. It is the first time this meeting will go ahead in person, with last year’s event cancelled after Mr Martin tested positive for Covid-19. It is also the first time that the event will take place with Mr Biden. Donald Trump was at the helm the last time Mr Varadkar was in the Oval office.
The Taoiseach will hand over a bowl of Shamrock to Mr Biden, before taking questions from the media.
Senior sources told the Irish Mirror last night that the Taoiseach is looking forward to meeting President Biden on Friday.
It is expected that the two men will discuss the “thriving” bilateral relationship between Ireland and the US. The Taoiseach also plans to discuss Northern Ireland with President Biden, particularly in light of the upcoming 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement. They are also expected to discuss the ongoing war in Ukraine.
It is widely expected that Mr Biden could announce a trip to Ireland during Mr Varadkar’s visit to the Oval Office. Senior sources previously told the Irish Mirror that the US President could visit Ireland for six days, with stop-offs in Dublin, Belfast, Mayo and Louth.
It has also been suggested that Mr and Mrs Clinton could accompany Mr Biden on his trip.
A spokeswoman for the Taoiseach said: “The Taoiseach has confirmed that he intends during his visit to Washington this week to renew the invitation to President Biden to visit Ireland.”
Posting on Twitter, the Taoiseach said: "Good news that President Biden plans to visit Ireland in the near future. I look forward to discussing the visit during my meeting with the President later this week."
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