A delegation from Pennsylvania is seeking support for the establishment of a direct air link between Dublin and Pittsburgh.
Officials from Allegheny County and Pittsburgh International Airport are in Dublin this week as part of a push to expand the city's international links.
Last year British Airways launched a direct link between London Heathrow and Pittsburgh, which has created an indirect link between the city and Dublin.
However officials argue that business and cultural ties are strong enough to support a direct service.
"There's an awful lot of demand from both ways," said Rich Fitzgerald, county executive at Allegheny County in Pennsylvania, of which Pittsburgh is a part. "Pittsburgh has really become a huge technology and robotics institute.
"The fact that you've got nine UPMC operations here - that 'P' stands for Pittsburgh. BNY Mellon, which is one of the largest financial transaction processors in the world, also has a major operation in both places. So do many of our law firms, Kraft Heinz, and so many different organisations," he said.
American Football's Pittsburgh Steelers was also recently granted the right by the NFL to expand their brand and activities to Ireland. However Mr Fitzgerald said the cultural links with Ireland go much further back than that.
"Pittsburgh has one of the largest ancestral Irish populations in America," he said.
"Over 20% of our population can trace their history back to Ireland; where as most in America is around 8-10%. There's a large cultural, as well as business, point to be made for both cities," he added.
Aer Lingus is the most likely candidate for any direct link and Mr Fitzgerald said it has had regular talks with the airline in recent years.
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An earlier approach was interrupted by the pandemic, however it now hopes to be able to make real progress on a deal.
"We've been having those discussions, and we had the same kind of discussions as we had with British Airways when we got that [London route] underway," said Mr Fitzgerald. "Our state government has been very supportive, as has the Biden administration."
The move is part of a $1.1 billion investment programme at Pittsburgh International Airport, which has seen it establish a number of sustainable systems at its facility.
Once a Dublin link is established, the airport also hopes to further expand its European links with a continental connection.
