TAOISEACH BRIAN Cowen is visiting New York this week for a series of meetings with members of the city's business and Irish-American communities.
His programme includes opening the day's trading at the New York Stock Exchange, addressing a Wall Street dinner and attending a number of cultural events.
This evening he will open a photographic exhibition at the Irish Arts Centre on west 51st Street, featuring senior members of the Irish-American community, by the distinguished photographer John Minihan, well-known for his studies of Samuel Beckett.
Tomorrow he will attend an Enterprise Ireland breakfast with representatives of Irish and other companies working in the US market.
Following that, he will ring the bell to open the day's trading at the stock exchange.
He then moves on to City Hall for a meeting with New York mayor Michael Bloomberg, followed by a tour of the World Trade Tribute Centre - established in memory of the victims of the September 11th, 2001 terrorist attacks.
In the evening he will attend a reception at the Irish Consulate General on Park Avenue.
On Thursday morning, Mr Cowen will have a private meeting with the editorial board of the Wall Street Journal.
He will attend a reception for the Gate and Abbey theatres, both of which are staging productions in New York.
He will be guest of honour at a lunch hosted by the Industrial Development Agency (IDA).
In the afternoon, he attends a Tourism Ireland event for tour operators, airlines and others and, in the evening, addresses Irish America magazine's "Wall Street 50" awards dinner, honouring Irish-American business leaders, at the New York Yacht Club.
He will travel back to Ireland on Friday on the Government jet.
This is Mr Cowen's first visit to the US since becoming Taoiseach in May and a spokesman said: "He is glad to get the opportunity to meet with the Irish diaspora and the business community there, renewing the links which are so important on both sides of the Atlantic, particularly in the current economic climate when Irish businesses are creating a similar number of jobs in the US as American companies are creating in Ireland."
"He will be seeking opportunities in tandem with the IDA and Enterprise Ireland to further develop these links."