Aras an Uachtaran has confirmed that Sabina Higgins visited an elderly peace activist in Limerick jail last weekend.

The British Queen’s state visit to Ireland will see her tour sites that are powerful reminders of Britain’s troubled relationship with the Republic.

The Queen of England is to pay a state visit to Ireland – the first official tour of the Republic of Ireland by a British monarch.

Aras an Uachtaran this afternoon rejected accusations that the President doesn't observe protocol during visits to the North.

President Mary McAleese and Taoiseach Bertie Ahern are due to attend a mass of remembrance at Dublin's Pro-Cathedral this evening for the late Pope John Paul II.