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US Vice President Mike Pence will arrive in Ireland later for an official visit that will also offer a chance to reconnect with his Irish roots.<\/p>\nUS Vice President Mike Pence will arrive in Ireland later for an official visit that will also offer a chance to reconnect with his Irish roots.<\/p>\n
Mr Pence will fly into Shannon Airport to begin a two-day visit on Monday afternoon.<\/p>\n
However, the airport have insisted it will be business as usual today – however, they said passengers so give themselves more time to get to the airport as there are extra security measures in place.<\/p>\n
A statement from Shannon Airport advised passengers to leave 15 minutes earlier than they had original planned<\/p>\n
\u201cIf passengers have any concerns about the departure time of their flight they are advised to contact their airline,\u201d a spokesperson for the airport said.<\/p>\n
Mr Pence will meet Taoiseach Leo Varadkar in Dublin on Tuesday, as well as President Michael D Higgins.<\/p>\n
Mr Pence and Second Lady Karen will stay in Doonbeg, Co Clare, where President Donald Trump owns a luxury golf resort.<\/p>\n
The Vice President has his own reason for staying in the remote coastal village however, as his ancestors on his mother\u2019s side come from there. One of Mr Pence\u2019s cousins owns a pub in Doonbeg.<\/p>\n
The Indiana politician was originally scheduled to visit Ireland at the end of this week, but his trip was brought forward at short notice after President Trump cancelled a weekend visit to Poland.<\/p>\n
Mr Pence brought forward his European visit to take the place of Mr Trump at commemorations in Warsaw on Sunday to mark the 80th anniversary of the outbreak of World War Two.<\/p>\n
After his visit to Ireland, the Vice President is due fly to the UK later in the week for a further series of engagements.<\/p>\n
The additional security measures at Shannon will be in place on the approach road to the airport and car parks from now until 12 noon on Wednesday<\/p>\n
Last month, Mr Pence spoke of how he was looking forward to celebrating his Irish roots as the country is \u201cvery near to his family\u2019s heart\u201d.<\/p>\n
The White House said that during his trip to Ireland, the Vice President would voice the United States\u2019 \u201ccommitment to maintaining peace, prosperity, and stability in Ireland by upholding the Good Friday Agreement\u201d.<\/p>\n
He is also intending to discuss trade, investment and strengthening the economic relationship between the two nations.<\/p>\n
The Vice President\u2019s trip comes three months after Mr Trump visited Ireland for the first time as president.<\/p>\n
The Pence family visits Ireland regularly, but Mr Pence himself has not visited since becoming vice president.<\/p>\n
Mr Pence\u2019s mother, Nancy, is a first-generation Irish-American.<\/p>\n
As well as ancestors in Doonbeg, Mr Pence also has roots in Tubbercurry, Co Sligo.<\/p>\n
In March, Mr Varadkar and his partner Dr Matt Barrett met with the Vice President at his official residence in Washington DC as part of his annual St Patrick\u2019s Day tour to the US.<\/p>\n
It came after Mr Pence, who describes himself as a Christian and a conservative, extended an invitation to the couple during a meeting with Mr Varadkar last year.<\/p>\n