Orange Order leaders are to hold talks with Dr Martin McAleese, the husband of the President Mary McAleese, in Dublin later today.
Grand Master Robert Saulters and Secretary Drew Nelson are part of the delegation travelling to Dublin.
Although an Orange Order spokesman insisted the talks would focus on the interests of its members in the Republic, the encounter is also being seen as part of an attempt to ease tensions ahead of the looming marching season north of the Border.
"We are conscious of the need to try and resolve some of the tension surrounding the parading issue," the spokesman said. "It's clear a number of other people are conscious of them as well."
The meeting comes 24 hours after representatives of the Protestant Loyal Orders held their first ever talks with the SDLP.
Although the Order are still refusing to end their boycott of the Northern Ireland Parades Commission, which rules on disputed marches, they were urged to enter into dialogue with residents' groups on the most controversial routes.
The need for a breakthrough has intensified since the ferocious rioting which erupted at an Orange Order parade in Belfast last year.
PA