Former president of the Coca-Cola corporation Donald Keough has warned that Ireland is becoming more "mentally distant" for Irish-Americans and may have to consider a looser, Israeli-type citizenship test for people of Irish origin.
Mr Keough, who is also the former chairman of Columbia Pictures, said the world's focus on a successful, peaceful Ireland is waning.
"The global white light of attention is finding new stages in eastern Europe, Brazil, China and India," he said, adding that Irish-Americans, in particular, view Ireland as more mentally distant with each passing generation.
Mr Keough was speaking at the inaugural US-Ireland Forum, a convention on the future of US-Irish relations that is partly sponsored by University College Dublin and the American Ireland Fund.
The fundamental question for Ireland is whether its 70 million-strong diaspora is still an important asset for the country's future, he said.
Mr Keough asked if Ireland has a definite plan to strengthen its relationship with its diaspora, particularly the 30 million Irish-Americans who live in states outside the influence of the Government and Irish-American organisations.
He said Ireland has been inattentive to the Scots-Irish and that this group should now look to Ireland North and South as home.
"Shouldn't a systematic plan be put in place to find them and welcome them home?" he said.
He questioned whether the Government should revisit its citizenship criteria to make them more inclusive for people of Irish ancestry, just as Israel embraces people of Jewish origin as citizens of Israel.
Anyone with one Jewish grandparent is eligible to become an Israeli citizen under that country's immigration laws. The policy has sparked criticism as thousands of immigrants from the former Soviet Union are not Jewish according to Jewish law.
Such a policy for people with an Irish grandparent would allow millions of people around the world to apply for Irish citizenship.
Mr Keough said that forum participants should examine whether they can help shape a new agenda "with a focus on the greatest resource of all - the millions of people, scattered around the world, who may be waiting to be invited to help the Celtic Tiger set new records as it walks through the 21st century".
Mr Keough retired as president of Coca-Cola in 1993 and currently serves on several boards, including Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway. The US-Ireland Forum held in New York's west Manhattan, is due to end today.