Ireland’s Deputy Prime Minister, Mary Coughlan, arrived in Chicago on Tuesday as part of Enterprise Ireland’s Education Mission to the United States. The main purpose of her official trip is to boost the number of US students coming to Ireland.

Ireland’s deputy Prime Minister began her trip on Tuesday when she met members of the Irish American media in Chicago and then later attended an American-Ireland members’ dinner.

Originally the deputy Prime Minister had been scheduled to depart for Boston earlier in the week but was forced to rearrange plans after a political storm erupted over her missing Dáil questions in the Irish parliament.

Two Enterprise Ireland representatives and three officials from the Department of Education are part of the Deputy Prime Minister’s entourage.

According to the agency’s website the Deputy Prime Minister spent yesterday networking with trade mission participants and high school counselor contacts before she hosted an informal dinner for the higher education institute trade mission participants.

Today she will attend a luncheon with the National Association of High School Scholars and their Irish partner higher-education institutes. Later this evening she will attend dinner with Irish honorary consul Joe McGlynn who is a senior member of the Irish American community.

The Deputy Prime Minister will return to Ireland on Friday.