Taoiseach Micheál Martin said he expects to be invited to the White House to mark St Patrick's Day, where he will raise "a broad range of issues" with US President Donald Trump.
"It’s a time-honoured tradition which we appreciate," Mr Martin said.
"President Trump - when he was previously president - continued with that tradition.
"Ireland and President Trump worked well in that period, and we want a constructive engagement and relationship," he said.
Asked if he would raise Mr Trump’s recent comments about controlling Gaza and turning it into a "Riviera of the Middle East", Mr Martin added that Ireland’s position on Gaza is very clear.
"The focus has to be on a ceasefire, that the second phase of the ceasefire is confirmed, that all the hostages are released and that there is a massive surge of humanitarian aid into Gaza," he said.
"It is hell on Earth, of that there is no doubt. But the immediate focus has to be on getting aid and supports into the Palestinian people in Gaza and to reduce level of conflict and violence in the region more generally."
He added there are a range of issues that will be discussed in the meeting.
"The economic relationship between Europe and the US, and Ireland and the US, is very significant," Mr Martin said.
"Trade between the EU and the US is the biggest in the world. We have a very strong presence in America.
"Irish companies have created about 100,000 jobs in America, we export a lot to America. And we have a lot of US multinationals who employ around 200,000 people in Ireland.
"So, there is a strong economic relationship and there is a strong cultural relationship, familial and also a strong diaspora there. So, all of those issues will be part of any discussions we have with the President," he said.
Earlier, Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Harris has said the Taoiseach of the day has been invited to the White House by the sitting US president on an "annual basis" for decades, and he "would expect it to happen again" this year.
It comes as Mr Trump has threatened a number of countries with tariffs and has issued sanctions against the International Criminal Court - a move condemned by almost 80 countries, including Ireland.
Despite ongoing diplomatic tensions, Mr Harris said he "would expect" the invitation to be made and for the visit to occur.
Speaking on RTÉ's Today with Claire Byrne, the Tánaiste confirmed that he intended to visit the US at the same time as the presumed White House trip by the Taoiseach, but added that he will be going to a "different location" than him.
Mr Harris said that he had written to his US counterpart, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio "congratulating him on his appointment".
There have been calls from members of the Opposition for the Government to boycott the annual St Patrick's Day visit to the White House.
People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy said: "No Irish politician should go to Washington to meet Donald Trump or his administration on St Patrick's Day.
"To do so would be to provide political cover to a US regime that is intent on inflicting even more barbaric treatment on the 2 million people of Gaza.
