The Taoiseach officially begins his St Patrick's Day visit to Washington DC today.

Leo Varadkar’s trip culminates with a meeting with US President Joe Biden at the White House on Friday.

The three-day trip begins with meetings with business groups in Washington this morning.

The White House fountain is died green to celebrate St Patricks Day, 17-03-2022. Image: Adam Schultz/White House Photo

A big focus of this year’s engagements is the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, with American lawmakers keen to mark an agreement their country helped foster.

Delegations from multiple Northern Irish political parties including Sinn Féin, the DUP, UUP and SDLP are also traveling this year.

Tonight, the annual Ireland Funds Gala dinner is the main event, with the Taoiseach addressing the fundraising dinner which starts at a grand a plate for entry.

Tomorrow, Mr Varadkar will attend an event at Georgetown University with former Secretary of State and First Lady Hillary Clinton.

But all is building towards Friday and the annual meeting with a US President who has already confirmed he intends to visit Ireland in the next month to mark a quarter century of peace in the North.

Main image shows Taoiseach Leo Varadkar at the White House, 14-03-2019. Image: World Politics Archive (WPA) / Alamy