Taoiseach Micheál Martin has highlighted the "steadfast" friendship between Ireland and the US at a breakfast meeting with US Vice President JD Vance and Second Lady Usha Vance.
Mr Martin and his wife were met by Mr Vance at the Vice Presidential residence on the grounds of the US Naval Observatory as Irish music played in the background.
It was the first in a long series of engagements for the Taoiseach - who travelled to the White House for a meeting with US President Donald Trump.
Mr Vance said the breakfast was to remind people of the "important bonds of friendship" between Ireland and the US.
He said that during a visit to Ireland, he noted its "beautiful" landscapes and "interesting technological growth".
Sporting a pair of shamrock socks which he showed to the room, Mr Vance joked: "The president is a very big fan of conservative dress, and so if he notices these socks, you have to defend this as an important part of cementing the Irish-American relationship."
Mr Martin thanked Mr Vance for his "warm welcome and hospitality" and added that he would need to "adjust very rapidly" his "conservative" dress sense after seeing the vice president's socks.
US health secretary Robert F Kennedy and Ireland's Ambassador to the US Geraldine Byrne Nason were among those gathered.
The Taoiseach delivered a speech to the event in which he highlighted the kinship between both nations that has existed "for centuries".
"Indeed, the United States was the first country to recognise our long-sought independence," he said, adding that last year marked 100 years of Irish-US diplomatic relations.
Mr Martin said that together Ireland and the United States "have built deep and enduring political, cultural and economic bonds".
Such bonds, he said, were "built upon the ties between our people".
The Taoiseach made reference to Mr Vance's Scots-Irish heritage as an example of this, saying many people from this background settled in Appalachia and "played a key role" in shaping the US, citing their role building the railroads as an example.
Irish Americans, Mr Martin added, continue "to make their mark on America" across politics arts and business helping.
"They have helped to sustain our people-to-people ties and make a crucial contribution to our economic relationship," he said.
The Taoiseach noted that Ireland "is now in the top ten as a source of foreign direct investment into the US", supporting the jobs of "hundreds of thousands of people".
Mr Martin also used his first speech of the day to reference the long-standing work of the US in the peace process, describing it as a "signature achievement" of US foreign policy.
The US, he said, "remains an indispensable partner" in securing peace globally.
He welcomed the effort Mr Trump and his administration has made to secure peace in the Middle East and Ukraine.
"We know that building peace is a difficult and painstaking task," he said, adding Ireland is ready to "play our part" in supporting work to end such conflicts.
Mr Martin said: "Mr vice president, I know we care deeply about the world our children and our children's children inherit.
"And I know that the US and Ireland will continue to stand together, working tirelessly to secure a future that offers the promise of peace and prosperity."
He finished his speech by inviting Mr Vance and his wife to Ireland - extending a particular invite to his native Co Cork.
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He noted the US vice president's confirmation he and his wife had previously visited Ireland two years ago.
The Taoiseach thanked them for visiting the Ring of Kerry, Skibbereen in Co Cork "where our Olympic champions are from", Cashel in Co Tipperary and Dublin, and welcomed that he "tasted the delight of the English Market" in Cork city.
