TAOISEACH ENDA KENNY is to meet US president Barack Obama at the White House for the traditional St Patrick’s Day celebrations as the government confirmed this evening that 16 ministers will be travelling abroad for the annual celebrations.

The government said that Ministers will be carrying a message that: “Now is the time to invest in Ireland’s recovery” as various cabinet members head as far afield as China and Singapore to promote the message that Ireland is a country to be invested in.

“The Government will use the unique global opportunity of St. Patrick’s Day to  bring  that message to all our key global markets and to Ireland’s many friends around the world,” the Taoiseach said today.

Kenny will visit Chicago to meet with Mayor Rahm Emmanuel and other political leaders as he participates in the St Patrick’s Day Parade.

He will also address students at the University of the Notre Dame and meet with business leaders at the New York Stock Exchange as part of a five-day visit to the US

The traditional St Patrick’s Day celebrations at the White House will take place at the later date of 20 March where Kenny will present Obama with traditional bowl of shamrock as well as attend the Speaker’s Lunch on Capitol Hill.

The Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Eamon Gilmore will be in Canada to promote what the government says is “trade, cultural and community events”.

The full list of ministerial trips is as follows:

North America

Chicago, Indiana, New York and Washington DC – Taoiseach Enda Kenny

Canada – Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Eamon Gilmore

New York – Minister for Social Protection Joan Burton

West Coast USA – Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Richard Bruton

Atlanta – Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht Jimmy Deenihan

Boston – Minister for Children and Youth Affairs  Frances Fitzgerald

UK

Birmingham  and  London –  Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport Leo Varadkar and Minister of State for Tourism and Sport Michael Ring

Glasgow & Edinburgh – Minister of State for Gaeltacht Affairs Dinny McGinley

Continental Europe

France – Minister for Finance Michael Noonan

Italy – Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources Pat Rabbitte

Benelux – Minister Agriculture, Food and the Marine Simon Coveney

Germany – Minister of State at the Department of Defence and Government Chief Whip Paul Kehoe

Finland and Sweden – Minister of State for Small Business John Perry

Asia

China – Minister of State for Training and Skills Ciaran Cannon

Singapore – Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Brendan Howlin

Australia

Australia and New Zealand – Minister for Justice and Defence Alan Shatter