16:33

From the Guardian’s Ireland correspondent:

St Patrick’s Day and the annual “hooley” at the White House to celebrate Ireland’s national day could pose embarrassment for some of the Irish political parties that normally attend the Washington DC celebrations on 17 March.

The leader of the nationalist Social Democratic and Labour party, Colum Eastwood, confirmed on Sunday that he will boycott Donald Trump’s hosting of the shamrock-tinged shindig this year.

Speaking ahead of Theresa May’s visit to Dublin on Monday where she will hold Brexit talks with the taoiseach, Enda Kenny, Eastwood said the Trump travel ban underpinned his decision not to attend this year’s St Patrick’s Day party in the White House.

He said it was up to other political parties both in Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic to decide if they thought it was right to attend the annual party.

Eastwood said: “The worst fears about the Trump presidency are coming to fruition. These immigration bans are a method of designed discrimination against one religion.

“This US presidency is not normal, therefore normal diplomatic niceties should not apply. I would urge the Irish government to take every step possible to ensure that these discriminatory checks and bans are not enforced at our airports. We should have no hand, act or part in implementing this ban,” said Eastwood.

Kenny is expected to accept the new US president’s invitation to the traditional St Patrick’s Day celebrations but the Irish foreign minister has expressed deep concern over the travel ban.

Charlie Flanagan said he would be raising the ban during his visit to Washington next week.

“While US immigration policy is a matter for the US authorities, it is clear that the most recent decisions could have far-reaching implications – both on humanitarian grounds and on relations between the US and the global Muslim community,” the Flanagan said.