Taoiseach Enda Kenny leaves today for a three-day business programme in the United States.
His first stop is Silicon Valley in California, where he is scheduled to meet senior executives in technology companies with significant Irish operations.
Discussions will include the European Commission ruling that the Government provided €13 billion in illegal State aid to Apple, and the impact of Brexit.
The purpose of the visit is also to “emphasise and promote Ireland’s attractiveness as a location for investment and trade”, said the department of the Taoiseach.
Mr Kenny will address the San Francisco Bay Area Economic Council at a gathering in Facebook’s headquarters, and will meet some of the firms that Enterprise Ireland is supporting on the US west coast.
He will then travel to New York for a meeting with financial data and media organisation Bloomberg, and will meet with some existing and prospective investors in Ireland.
During his visit, Enterprise Ireland will sign a partnership agreement with Northwell Healthcare Group, which operates 19 hospitals and 400 outpatient operations in New York.
There are no current plans for a meeting with US President-elect Donald Trump on this visit, however it is understood that one has been requested if schedule permits.