The Taoiseach will not be travelling to Washington for St Patrick's Day, due to the prevalence of covid-19 both here and in the United States.
Officials are now looking to organise a virtual meeting between Micheál Martin and US president Joe Biden that day.
A government spokesman says a programme of online events is expected to replace the traditional visit to the US.
Yesterday, the Taoiseach said he would go to Washington if he received an invitation.
However, he says "we're very conscious of the challenges facing the new administration and the fact that they have a real issue in terms of dealing with covid."
