Jane Matthews Reporting from New York

SIMON HARRIS HAS accepted an invitation to visit Washington next month for a meeting with Joe Biden.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the Taoiseach said Harris and Biden will both speak at an event to mark the centenary of the bilateral diplomatic relations between the two countries.

The US was the first country to recognise Ireland’s place among the nations of the world, on 7 October 1924. 

The spokesperson said the event will also be an “opportunity to reflect on President Biden’s career-long friendship with Ireland”.

While in Washington DC, the Taoiseach will also undertake a number of other engagements.

This visit will be Harris’s first to the White House as Taoiseach and his first meeting with Joe Biden. 

The date of the visit has not yet been made public. 

There has been speculation that an election would be called for November, meaning a trip Stateside would have to be squeezed into what would be a very important jam-packed month for Harris.

It will be the first time Harris visits the White House and the last time Biden gets to meet with Ireland’s Taoiseach.

Harris missed the annual St Patrick’s Day visit, only taking on the top job after it had passed.

The March visit was the subject of criticism this year, as some politicians called on then-Taoiseach Leo Varadkar to boycott the White House over the United States’ response to the war in Gaza.