Kenny travels to US to meet business leaders

Taoiseach has “no plans” to meet president-elect Trump in New York

Taoiseach Enda Kenny will today begin a three-day trip to the United States, where he will meet business leaders in New York and California's Silicon Valley.

The visit comes as the Government seeks to promote Ireland as an investment location in the wake of the Brexit referendum.

A Government spokesman said there were no plans to meet the US president-elect Donald Trump while in New York. Mr Kenny was one of the first international leaders that Mr Trump spoke to in the wake of his victory in the US election earlier this month.

Mr Kenny will travel to the West Coast first where he will deliver an address to the San Francisco Bay Area Economic Council, a group of leading San Francisco and Silicon Valley companies. The event will take place in Facebook headquarters.

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The Taoiseach is also scheduled to attend an Enterprise Ireland event supporting Irish companies on the west coast and will meet with "some key investors in Ireland", according to a statement.

Following his west coast programme, Mr Kenny will travel to New York, where he will address the Partnership for New York City and a group of business leaders hosted by Peter Grauer, the chairman of business news and information company Bloomberg.

Mr Kenny will also attend the signing of a partnership between Enterprise Ireland and Northwell Healthcare Group, a leading US healthcare company.

According to a statement from Government Buildings, the Taoiseach will also "engage with Irish-American political, business and community leaders at receptions in both Palo Alto and New York".

Also today, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Charlie Flanagan, is travelling to France, where he is leading an Enterprise Ireland Trade Mission to Lyon. He will be in Paris tomorrow where he will meet with his French counterpart, Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault.

Pat Leahy

Pat Leahy

Pat Leahy is Political Editor of The Irish Times