Taoiseach Enda Kenny has begun his annual St Patrick's trip to the US by vowing to press President Donald Trump to help the country's thousands of "undocumented" Irish.
Highlighting the case of the estimated 50,000 Irish who reside in the US illegally, Mr Kenny said those "living in the shadows" harboured a strong desire to remain and continue to contribute to society.
Addressing an Irish American dinner in Philadelphia, the Fine Gael leader said the "plight" of the undocumented would be an "absolute priority" in his planned engagements with the administration in Washington.
During his speech at the 246th annual Friendly Sons of St Patrick event, the taoiseach also expressed hope that Ireland's economic links with the US would be strengthened, not weakened, under the new president.
With such worldwide focus on Mr Trump's controversial immigration policies, Mr Kenny's efforts to lobby the president on behalf of the "undocumented" Irish will draw intense scrutiny in the coming week.
At the start of what is set to be his final major foreign tour before announcing his retirement plans, Mr Kenny said on Saturday night: "It will be no surprise to anyone here that one of my absolute priorities in meeting Vice President Pence, President Trump and other senior political figures this coming week is to renew the strong case on behalf of the hard-working, tax-paying Irish people in the United States who for too long now have been living in the shadows, and want nothing more than to continue making their contribution to this great country.
"We all understand that immigration reform is a politically sensitive issue. However, I truly believe that a US immigration system that addresses the needs of the undocumented Irish, and provides for future legal flows, will be of huge benefit to America."
Mr Kenny said Ireland's economy continued to emerge from its recent crisis with "renewed strength and confidence" and, as such, was well placed to absorb the risks posed by Brexit.
"While there may be troubled waters ahead with the decision of our nearest neighbour, the United Kingdom, to leave the EU, I am confident that we are prepared to withstand the challenges ahead," he said.
Noting that the US remained Ireland's largest source of inward investment – employing up to 150,000 people in more than 700 operations – he highlighted that Irish companies were also making their mark in the states.
"In the other direction, more than 700 Irish companies employ close to 100,000 Americans across all 50 states," he said.
"We look forward to seeing more and more Irish companies set up operations here in the US and strengthening the US economy."
Mr Kenny said the economic ties meant more Americans than ever before were visiting Ireland.
"Last year, we welcomed 1.6 million visitors from North America – one in 10 of all American visitors to Europe now visits Ireland," he said.
The taoiseach will be in Boston on Monday and Tuesday morning before heading to Washington on Wednesday and Thursday. His visit will conclude in New York on Friday.
