Irish President to make historic UK visit
Irish President Michael D Higgins will become the country's first head of state to make an official state visit to the UK.
Aras an Uachtarain - the President's official residence in Dublin - has confirmed they have accepted the official invitation from the Queen to visit the UK in April.
The three-day State visit follows the Queen's much-lauded trip to Ireland in May 2011, in what was considered a pivotal moment in relations between the two countries.