PRESIDENT MICHAEL D Higgins is to visit France and Belgium this week where he will take part in World War One commemorations.
President Higgins will first visit Lorient in France where he will meet with the Irish ambassador to France as well as visiting the Museum of the East India Company and the National Maritime Museum.
GAA teams
He will also meet with members of the local GAA community and representatives of Brittany GAA teams at The Galway Inn.
On Sunday, he will travel to Belgium for World War One Commemoration Ceremonies in Liege and Mons, in Belgium.
Over seventy countries have been invited to attend and some 16 of these will be represented at Head of State level.
The President and his wife Sabina will be welcomed by the King and Queen of Belgium and they will participate in a ceremony of commemoration at the Monument Interalliés at Cointe and attend lunch at the Palais des Princes-Evêques.
Later that evening, President Higgins and Sabina will attend the First World War Commemorative Service hosted by the United Kingdom at St. Symphorien Military Cemetery in Mons.
Over 513 oldiers from Britain, Ireland, Canada, Belgium and Germany are buried in the cemetery at St. Symphorien and senior representatives from these countries have been invited to attend the ceremony at dusk on Monday evening.
Many relatives of those who are buried in the cemetary will also be in attendance.
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