The President, Mrs Mary McAleese, will today become the first Irish head of state to make an official visit to Wales.
Mrs McAleese travels to Wales today for a three-day visit during which she will attend a session of the Welsh National Assembly in Cardiff and meet First Minister Mr Rodhri Morgan.
Mrs McAleese will deliver an address at the University of Wales at Aberystwyth today and visit the national library to view the Irish collection there.
Tomorrow, after attending the National Assembly, she will be received by the Lord Mayor of Cardiff and will then be guest of honour at an Irish community reception.
She will be conferred with an honorary law doctorate by Bristol University on Wednesday.
The visit follows a similar trip by then-president Mrs Mary Robinson who made the first official visit to England in 1996 and met Queen Elizabeth II.