The two leaders are meeting as part of the Irish government’s traditional St Patrick’s Day series of engagements.

Earlier, Martin attended a breakfast hosted by Vice-President JD Vance.

Speaking at the breakfast he said that US “has been a steadfast friend of Ireland for centuries”.

He said the peace process was a “signature achievement of US foreign policy”, adding that Ireland is “ready to play our part in supporting work to end conflict and to secure peace in the Ukraine or in the Middle East or wherever”.

Martin welcomed the “progress that has clearly been made” as a result of the Trump administration’s “unrelenting focus and effort” to secure peace.

Vance described the US-Ireland relationship as “one of the great alliances and great friendships between nations”.

He added that Ireland is a country with “incredibly community… beautiful landscape and also a lot of interesting technological growth”.

“One of the more robust areas for us to work on with our Irish friends in the years to come is going to be technology and particularly artificial intelligence,” he said.

The taoiseach is the first EU leader to return to the Oval Office since the president’s bust-up with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Discussions are expected to cover a broad range of issues, including the deep ties between the US and Ireland, shared global challenges, including the war in Ukraine and the situation in the Middle East, as well as the two countries’ economic relationship.

The bilateral meeting comes amid heightened concern over the future of Ireland’s economy, which is heavily reliant on US multinationals.

Trump sees this as a trade imbalance and is keen to entice those companies back to the US.

The taoiseach arrived at the White House hours after the EU announced it will impose counter tariffs on €26 billion ($28bn) worth of US goods from next month.

The move is in retaliation to Trump’s 25% tariffs on all steel and aluminium imports into the US, which came into effect overnight.

However, Martin said he would use his visit to the Oval Office to highlight an “increasingly two-way” trade and investment relationship.

“Ireland is the sixth-largest source of foreign direct investment in the US, supporting hundreds and thousands of jobs across the US,” he said.

“This substantial investment underscores the commitment of Irish enterprises to the US market and reflects a deepening economic interdependence between the two countries.”

The meeting is also an opportunity for the taoiseach to update Trump on the situation in Northern Ireland, recognising the huge contribution the US has made to securing peace.

First Minister Michelle O’Neill will not be heading to the White House as she is boycotting the St Patrick’s Day festivities there due to Trump’s stance on Gaza.

However, Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly will be at the White House reception on Wednesday and is likely to meet Trump.

The two executive ministers led a delegation to North Carolina earlier in the week alongside representatives from Queen’s University Belfast, Invest NI, Catalyst and Software NI.

NI Chamber CEO Suzanne Wylie said the visit was part of a long-term process and they would be inviting a trade mission back to Northern Ireland in the summer from North Carolina.

However, there has been more geopolitical uncertainty this year than last year, including President Trump’s introduction of some tariffs.

She said that while there was uncertainty across the globe right now, “businesses really just want to create the relationships and get on with doing business with each other and continue to look for further investment in some of our innovative companies”.

Speaking to BBC News NI ahead of the meeting between Trump and Martin, Democrat member of the House of Representatives Brendan Boyle said that “what the Trump administration is doing with respect to tariffs makes no economic sense, and it makes no sense in terms of our national security”.

Boyle said that imposing tariffs on Canada suggests that no country is “safe fully from this sort of madness”, including Ireland.

He added that Martin should “remind President Trump that Ireland, despite its small size, is one of the largest investors in the United States and one of the largest job creators in the United States”.

“On the one hand, [Trump] likes to say, you know, we’re the best, he’s the best, He’s the greatest. Everything is a superlative.

“But then in the next breath, he says, we’re suckers, we’re losers, we’re being taken advantage of by every other country.”

Boyle said that Ireland “punches well above its weight” in terms of investment in the United states, and reminding Trump of that “would go a long way”.

This will be the tightest of political tightropes for Micheál Martin.

He’s got a €50bn (£42bn) tax treasure chest to protect and can’t afford any slip ups.

His moment of jeopardy may come when President Trump invites questions from the press.

Pressure points include tariffs and Dublin’s perceived anti-Israel bias.

Luckily for the taoiseach the move towards a ceasefire in Ukraine and the resumption of US military aid may dominate the questions.

Trading relationships and tariffs may be one for another day.

The taoiseach had hoped the move towards a ceasefire in Ukraine and the resumption of US military aid would have dominate the questions

But the EU decision to hit back in the looming tariff war imposing €26bn on US imports could put a strain on discussions in Whitehouse

It has nothing to do with high politics or indeed St Patrick’s Day celebrations – rather, it was coined by a sports commentator during the 1990 World Cup in Italy as the Republic of Ireland performed beyond expectations to progress to the quarter finals.

Now, 35 years later, it could be an apt description once more of how the people of Ireland are feeling as the Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister) Micheál Martin goes to the White House to meet the US President Donald Trump for the annual St Patrick’s week celebrations.

The outcome of the recent visit by the Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky to the White House is the backdrop this year.

And it comes with ongoing concern in Ireland about the impact of new US tariffs on the Irish economy.

Historically few people outside of Ireland and the Irish diaspora have paid much attention to the annual St Patrick’s week event.

It’s part of celebrations to honour Ireland’s patron saint, St Patrick.

The symbolism comes by way of the taoiseach presenting the sitting US President with a bowl of shamrock, a nod to St Patrick’s religious association with the green trefoil, which – along with the harp – is one of two official Irish state symbols.

Most of the serious conversations – traditionally about matters such as Irish-American relations and the peace process as well as sharing views on any relevant global matters of the moment – normally take place away from prying eyes and ears.

Les Devlin told BBC News NI that it was great to have access to the White House but added that he “wouldn’t be leaving without getting a comment across” and getting “something out of it”.

“It’s huge access, when you think of the world leaders who have been there over the last few weeks, to have that avenue,” he said.

“But I have a funny feeling he’s going to go over there and it’s a bit of a nod and a wink to Ireland type of thing and for Trump it’s all about just the Irish vote.

“But I definitely think we shouldn’t leave without getting our say in.”

Mr Devlin said it was important to “stand up” to Trump.

“He has a golf resort here and I’d like to remind him of that,” he added.

Michelle O’Connell said the meeting was “the right thing to do from a diplomatic perspective” and also “showcases Ireland”.

She said she hoped the taoiseach will get a “better reception” than Zelensky and “the door won’t be closed to us”.

“Hopefully, again, we’ll have a good relationship with the States. They’ve always been good to us from a trade perspective and we would like to keep that going.”

The Irish public normally sees the event in fairly simple terms – a meet and greet to celebrate St Patrick’s Day and all it means to Ireland and Irish Americans.

This time it’s different.

The fallout from the recent visit of Zelensky to the White House has changed things.

Since then, the impending meeting has been featuring prominently across television, radio, newspaper, and social media platforms in Ireland.

Many are taking some comfort from a widely held view, domestically and internationally, that Martin is experienced and skilled at diplomatic relations.

But if Martin or his advisors were aware of the commentary at home, their trip across the Atlantic would have been weighed down with a plethora of advice about what to do or not to do, and what to say or not say, during his meeting with Trump.

The meeting comes amid widespread concern in Ireland about the new US administration’s view on tax and tariffs and how this could potentially pose a risk to the Irish economy which has a high dependency on the jobs and taxes generated by the inward investment of big US tech and pharmaceutical companies.

This matters because these firms employ a lot of Irish people, many of whom are young and highly educated, and either work from home or travel to bigger towns and cities to work for these companies.

Then, there’s the unprecedented global interest in this meeting as Martin becomes the first European leader to visit the White House since the Ukrainian president left the building early.

How will the taoiseach handle such delicate geopolitical issues such as the wars in Ukraine and Gaza and the Trump administration’s views on a range of issues relating to the European Union?

The Irish government has been fierce in its criticism of Israel over its actions in Gaza, which led to the Israeli government’s decision to close its embassy in Ireland.

But, in particular, Irish people at home and around the world desperately want this meeting to “pass off without incident” and to continue the historical upward trajectory of previous St Patrick’s week celebrations at the White House.

In the past that has traditionally resulted in the renewal and strengthening of Irish-US social, political, and economic relations.

That’s the hope again this time, but there is no doubt that many people here in Ireland are unusually anxious about this particular St Patrick’s week meeting.

He met Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Wednesday evening, ahead of the summit on Thursday.

Speaking at an event on Wednesday, the prime minister said he hoped the evening would be an “early celebration of everything Irish and everything that binds the UK and Ireland together”.

The summit is the first of its kind, it will be attended by cabinet members from both the UK and Irish governments in Liverpool.

It comes amid the backdrop of growing security concerns among the UK and EU countries about the influence of Russia.

On Thursday, the prime minister and taoiseach will host a joint business roundtable with industry leaders and businesses across tech, finance, clean energy, manufacturing and construction from the UK and Ireland.

The discussion will focus on potential opportunities for growth and investment, and how the UK and Ireland can work together to build an even more resilient and successful trading relationship.

They will also discuss how both countries can work closer together on renewable energy, tech, AI and security.

The two leaders are due to announce a new data sharing arrangement aimed at increasing the production offshore energy.

As part of the summit, Ireland will also announce new investments into the UK worth £185.5 million, which the UK government say could create more than 2,500 jobs across the country.

Ahead of the meeting, Martin paid tribute to the prime minister for “his leadership over the last while”.

“He has been effective and impactful, we all want peace – there are too many wars in the world,” he told reporters.

Meanwhile, Sir Keir said: “We can do much more when we work together with others and as I’ve said before, I don’t believe that the relationship between the UK and Ireland has ever reached its full potential and I’m delighted that now, with this summit, we’re going to change all of that. What an opportunity.”

Asked if he would stand his ground with President Trump at events in Washington DC for St Patrick’s Day next week, the taoiseach said his focus for now was the British-Irish relationship and that the Irish-US relationship remained important.

He also said he did not agree with comments by First Minister Michelle O’Neill after she said she was “incredulous” at the UK Government’s decision to spend up to £1.6bn on defence missiles for Ukraine.

“I wouldn’t agree with the first minister – no one likes the utilisation of weapons and all my life I’ve been on the peace side of the equation,” he said.

“We don’t live in an ideal world, one has to have capability to defend your country.

“But it’s Russia who illegally invaded Ukraine, that’s the reality… Europe needs to improve and enhance its capability in order to have a deterrence to avoid any encroachment on a member of the EU.”

Sir Keir has previously expressed the importance of “resetting relation” between the UK and the Republic of Ireland.

Last September, he became the first British prime minister to visit the Republic of Ireland in five years.

Downing Street said the visit marked a “new era of co-operation and friendship” between Britain and Ireland.

The summit is expected to finish by mid morning on Thursday as the taoiseach is attending a special European Council meeting in Brussels on Thursday afternoon.