Ahern to meet Bush after US speech

Taoiseach Bertie Ahern will meet US President George W Bush in Washington tomorrow.

The Taoiseach announcing his decision to stand down

Mr Ahern’s office said he had accepted the invitation to the White House meeting, which will take place after the outgoing Taoiseach addresses the Joint Houses of Congress on Capitol Hill.

Mr Ahern left for Washington this afternoon and will arrive in Washington at 10.30pm Irish time. Earlier he attended his last Cabinet meeting as Taoiseach before Brian Cowen takes over the role on May 6th next week.

Mr Ahern is addressing Congress at 4pm Irish time tomorrow and will also attend a special lunch hosted by Richie Neal, Chair of the Congressional Friends of Ireland, afterwards.

At the lunch he will present a sword of Thomas Francis Meagher to the Friends of Ireland group. Mr Ahern said he saw the gift “as a symbol of the continuing friendship between the people of Ireland and the people of America”.

The sword has been donated by the City of Waterford and a delegation from the city is in Washington to attend events surrounding the Taoiseach's historic address to the Congress.

Thomas Francis Meagher was born in Waterford and became an Irish nationalist leader and member of the Young Irelanders. In 1848, on his return from revolutionary Paris, he presented the Tricolour of Green, White and Orange to a meeting in Dublin. This later became recognised as the National Flag of Ireland.

Mr Ahern is the sixth Irish leader to address the US Congress and the fourth visiting statesman to have addressed both Congress and Westminster in London. Earlier this month, Mr Ahern said the US event would be one of the proudest moments of his career.

On April 2nd, Mr Ahern announced that he would step down on May 6th amid increasing pressure over his finances. He denied any wrongdoing, and said his resignation was "Solely a personal decision" motivated by "what is best for the people" and inspired by the desire to "refocus the political dynamic in Ireland".

The move marks the end of a long political career for the Taoiseach, which began in 1977 when he entered politics.

Mr Ahern was elected leader of Fianna Fáil in November 1994 and became the first Taoiseach since 1944 to be elected on three successive occasions.