Mr Edward Haughey, a Northern Ireland businessman and former member of the Seanad, is to be appointed to the House of Lords. He had been nominated by the Ulster Unionist leader, Mr David Trimble.
Mr Haughey, the head of the veterinary pharmaceuticals company Norbrook, will be the first person to serve in the upper chambers of both the Irish and UK parliaments. First appointed to the Seanad by the then taoiseach, Mr Albert Reynolds, he was reappointed by Mr Ahern. He stood down two years ago.
Mr Haughey played "an important behind-the-scenes role" in negotiations in the run-up to the signing of the Belfast Agreement in 1998, a unionist source told The Irish Times last night. "He is a quiet supporter of ours."
Speaking after being told of his elevation to the Lords, Mr Haughey said: "I will continue to develop the business \ as normal. But I welcome this new opportunity to make a wider contribution to society, taking a particular interest in the further development of programmes for the academically-gifted who are so crucial to the economic and therefore the social well-being of the country."