Tonight in Cork, the celebrated Egyptologist, Dr Zahi Hawass, will deliver a lecture at UCC's Boole Library on the recent discoveries at the Giza pyramids and the Valley of the Golden Mummies. Dr Hawass's discoveries include a pair of statues of Rameses II and the tombs of the workmen who built the pyramids.
The lecture will be attended by His Excellency Mr Ahraf Rashed, the Egyptian ambassador to Ireland, who strongly urges Irish holiday makers to continue exploring the wonders of his country, despite events in Afghanistan.
"Of course people are worried at the moment, we understand that, but my message to our Irish friends, with whom we have always had close cultural ties, is that they will be most welcome in Egypt, the greatest open-air museum in the world.
"There is no need to be afraid of travelling to Egypt. Irish visitors will be safe and most welcome there and my government has taken every precaution to ensure that all the necessary measures are in place to make a holiday visit to Egypt a happy and rewarding one. If people had planned to go, they should not alter their plans ... I want to impress upon Irish people thinking about travelling to Egypt that our country is keen to provide every courtesy," Mr Rashed said.
Despite the stark television images from Manhattan and Afghanistan, the Islamic and Christian worlds had not become divided, Mr Rashed added.
"I think we have all joined together in these tragic moments and we share the same sense of outrage against terrorism. Remember, just recently, the Islamic Conference issued a very clear condemnation of the atrocity in Manhattan and supported worldwide measures against terrorism.
There is concern, of course, that we should differentiate between measures against terrorism within the UN Charter and hurting innocent civilians. That is a legitimate concern," he added.
Ambassador Rashed said that justice in the Middle East conflict remained a major issue in the Arab world and should be seen as separate from the terrorist attacks. It was reassuring, he went on, to hear President Bush signal that America would continue to press for a settlement.
The hope was that the EU would work closely with the US and the Arab world to secure peace, and Ireland's role on the UN Security Council, as well as within the EU, could be highly influential, Mr Rashed said.
"Ireland has a long history of seeking justice for herself and supporting justice around the world," he declared.
On the restoration of Irish beef exports to Egypt, Ambassador Rashed said good relations between the two countries and an intensive diplomatic campaign, involving the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, the Minister for Agriculture, Mr Walsh, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Cowen, and the Minister for Science and Technology, Mr Noel Treacy, had persuaded the Egyptian authorities to relax their ban.
"We have confidence in the Irish assurances and Irish beef is welcome once again in our markets," he added.