Hillary Clinton will accompany Joe Biden on his State visit to Ireland.
Tanaiste Micheal Martin confirmed that the former US first lady will come to Ireland at the same time as Joe Biden next month.
Mr Martin met the former US Secretary of State at a National Committee on American Foreign Policy event in New York where she was honoured with the Hans J. Morgenthau award for her work on the Good Friday Agreement.
READ MORE: Joe Biden confirms plan to visit Ireland to mark 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement
He said that Mrs Clinton will come to Ireland to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement in April.
Mr Martin said: "I would have had a very good relationship with Hillary Clinton when I was formerly Minister for Foreign Affairs and she was Secretary of State.
"We developed a partnership with the US on hunger and the world at the time on sustainable development goals.
"Obviously then, in the context of Northern Ireland, she was very involved. She was personally engaged in that.
"What struck last night talking to Hillary Clinton and (US representative) Richie Neal was her sustained interest in Northern Ireland which is heartfelt and personal.
"We discussed that and the prospects of the restoration of the institutions.
"We also discussed world politics in terms of issues around the rule of law, the United Nations, the challenges now facing the world in terms of the various wars and the war in Ukraine, and climate change."
Mrs Clinton first accompanied her husband Bill Clinton to Belfast in November 1995 when he became the first serving US president to visit Northern Ireland.
They returned in 1998, just weeks after the Omagh bombing to meet and sympathize with some of those bereaved by the Real IRA explosion, and was first lady when the peace process deal was agreed.
Mrs Clinton visited Northern Ireland on many occasions and cited Northern Ireland as an example of her foreign policy experience when challenging Barack Obama for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination.
She was appointed an economic envoy to Northern Ireland on behalf of the US government in 2009.
She is also the chancellor of Queen's University in Belfast.
Mr Martin said he hopes Biden's upcoming state visit will bring more jobs to Northern Ireland.
He said: "It's a strengthening of the US-Irish relationship.
"We're very fortunate to have a president of the calibre of Joe Biden who doesn't in any way mask his Irishness and his commitment to the Good Friday Agreement and his commitment to the economic development of Ireland.
"We've had his back for a long, long time. From that perspective, it's very welcome indeed.
"In the context of the Good Friday Agreement and the appointment of Joe Kennedy as an economic envoy, we're hoping for an opportunity with the Windsor Agreement, with a commitment to the European Commission, that the anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement and visit of President Biden would be an opportunity to reset the economic prospects for Northern Ireland.
"We will be looking forward to investment opportunities.
"The EU Commission, working with the US administration and the UK government and Irish government and, of course, all the parties in Northern Ireland to create a really good, economically stable future for the people of Northern Ireland."
Mr Martin also said he hopes his St Patrick's Day visit to New York will bring new tech jobs across Ireland.
It comes after Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, announced plans to lay off 10,000 workers.
He said: "For any individual worker (who) loses their job, that's a huge blow to the worker, to their families.
“Talent is extremely competitive in that field. The IDA and Enterprise Ireland have said labour shortages are a big issue so we would like to think that there is some capacity within the sector, within the industry to absorb those who may lose their jobs.
“And we will work with Enterprise Ireland, the IDA and with Solas to make sure, which we've done before that alternative employment is found or indeed, in terms of startup companies that some people who leave technology companies very often can now be in a position to start new companies in the technology sphere.
“We did it many years ago with Motorola and other companies where the entire workforce was reemployed almost and some of them developed new companies which are very strong today. That's the focus.”
READ NEXT :
Met Eireann forecast major temperature swing before weather system takes over
Shamed socialite Marcus Sweeney still living the high life as we track him
Presenter Dermot Whelan speaks of 'pain' of losing mother to dementia
Imelda May's boyfriend 'lucky to be alive' after horror car crash on icy roads
Get breaking news to your inbox by signing up to our newsletter
