Taoiseach Edna Kenny, wearing shamrock in celebration of the forthcoming Saint Patrick's Day on 17 March, speaks to United States President Barack Obama in the Oval Office on 14 March 2014, before heading to the U.S. Capitol for a Saint Patrick's Day lunch. That evening, the President and the First Lady hosted a reception in the East Room of the White House at which Taoiseach Kenny presented President Obama with the annual gift of shamrock — a tradition that dates back to President Truman and Irish Ambassador John Hearne.