Photograph: Bonnie Cash/UPI/BloombergA total of 40 Ministers and other representatives of the State will visit more than 50 countries for a St Patrick’s Day programme that is set to focus on trade and investment. Taoiseach Micheál Martin will travel to Washington DC where he is expected to meet US president Donald Trump. Mr Martin will also visit Philadelphia and he is among nine representatives that will travel to the United States. Ministers of State Robert Troy and Niamh Smyth will go to Austin and Miami respectively. A Department of Foreign Affairs statement said: “In line with the Government’s Action Plan on Market Diversification, the 2026 St Patrick’s Day programme will place a stronger emphasis on trade and investment.

Source: The Irish Times January 27, 2026 17:12 UTC