Ireland's leader 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 live in the United States illegally, Taoiseach Enda 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 Trump's controversial immigration policies, Kenny's efforts to lobby the president on behalf of the "undocumented" Irish will draw intense scrutiny in the coming week.
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."
The "plight" of the undocumented is an "absolute priority", the Irish PM tells a dinner meeting in Philadelphia. Source: AAP
