Updated 16:10

Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams has called on the government to make a “renewed and determined effort” to support undocumented Irish in America.

Mr Adams was delivering a keynote speech at a street naming event in New York to commemorate the 1916 Easter Rising.

A previously unnamed street in the west Queens area of New York - a traditional spot for Irish Americans - has been dubbed 'Easter Rising Way' at special ceremony this morning.

"The Irish government needs to engage quickly with the new administration to discuss what possibilities might exist for finding a resolution and relieving the huge anxiety that the undocumented live with,” said Mr Adams.

“These men and women travelled to the USA primarily because of the austerity policies of successive governments. They were following the same path millions of others have taken in the past.”

He said many undocumented Irish pay tax, raise families and contribute positively to US society; yet are still unable to return home in the event of an emergency.

“While they contribute significantly to the US economy and are generally recognised as model citizens; they are the Skype and Facebook generation,” he said. 

Mr Adams warned that the key challenge facing the government will be to ensure that the support of the Trump administration for the peace process.

“Now that there is a peaceful way to achieve Irish unity, all of us - including the Irish government - must actively promote that objective,” he said.

Mr Adams has often been criticised in the US for his party's links with the IRA and the organisers of the event have come in for some criticism for inviting him to speak at the ceremony.

Oiche mhaith ó an Úll mór. Xoxoxozzzzz with an American accent.

— Gerry Adams (@GerryAdamsSF) November 12, 2016