McAleese to address British Council

President of Ireland Mary McAleese will today become the first Irish head of state to address Britain’s leading voice on cultural relations.

President McAleese will deliver the British Council annual lecture on the theme 'Changing Faces of Ireland – Migration and Multiculturalism' in London.

The British Council is the international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations in the UK.

The President’s landmark speech to the body comes as part of a special two-day visit to England that saw her take in the 2007 Cheltenham Festival.

The engagement comes a week before President McAleese travels to Italy to meet with His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI on Friday March 23 during an official visit to the Vatican City and Rome.