US president Joe Biden’s itinerary will be confined solely to Dublin on Thursday.
He will begin with a visit on Thursday to Áras an Uachtaráin to meet President Michael D Higgins. He will participate in a tree-planting ceremony and ring the peace bell.
He will then meet Taoiseach Leo Varadkar in nearby Farmleigh House, which is the official Government residence.
Mr Varadkar described President Biden’s visit as “an opportunity to celebrate and renew the strong political, economic and personal ties that bind our two countries”.
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The highlight on Thursday will be an address to the joint Houses of Oireachtas on Thursday afternoon.
He will be the fourth US president to give such an address. The first was given by John F Kennedy 60 years ago in 1963. The others were by Ronald Reagan in June 1984 and Bill Clinton in December 1995.
It will be followed by a banquet dinner at Dublin Castle on Thursday night.
It was hoped that President Biden would do a meet and greet on Thursday afternoon following his speech to the Oireachtas, but it has not been fitted into the schedule.
President Biden is expected to spend Thursday night in the US ambassador’s residence in the Phoenix Park before flying to Ireland West Airport on Friday afternoon where he will visit Knock Shrine and then address a large gathering in Ballina on Friday night.
