President Michael D Higgins, will begin a three-day visit to England with a series of engagements in Birmingham on Monday.
President Higgins, accompanied by his wife Sabina, will attend a civic reception in his honor hosted by Birmingham City Council, and pay a visit to a memorial commemorating the 21 people killed in the 1974 Birmingham pub bombings.
The memorial near Birmingham’s New Street station was unveiled last November after a project involving the Justice4the21 campaign group, together with Network Rail and the Birmingham Irish Association.
President Higgins is due to meet trustees and staff of the Birmingham Irish Association and older members of the Irish community in the city.
He will visit Merseyside on Tuesday and Wednesday, where he will be greeted by Britain’s Prince Charles and his wife Camilla.
Tuesday’s program will see the President visit the University of Liverpool’s Institute of Irish Studies, and attend a lunch promoting business and cultural ties between Ireland and Britain.