The Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny has accepted a Government invitation to join the State's official delegation attending the funeral of Pope John Paul ll in the Vatican on Friday.
Mr Kenny, as the leader of the main Opposition party, will join the delegation that will fly out to Rome tomorrow.
The President, Mrs McAleese, who will be accompanied by her husband Martin, will lead the national delegation. The McAleeses will leave for Rome tomorrow morning on the Government's smaller Lear jet.
At around lunchtime the Taoiseach Mr Ahern, the Tánaiste Ms Harney and Mr Kenny will leave Dublin on the Government's Gulfstream jet.
The funeral begins at 9am on Friday, but the national delegation is travelling the previous morning because of the logistical difficulties in co-ordinating the arrival of some 190 national delegations. The Vatican decreed that Ireland's national delegation consist of five people, and the Government decided to include Mr Kenny.
A spokeswoman for the Taoiseach said yesterday that Mr Ahern had decided to invite Mr Kenny to reflect the fact that this was a national delegation. "The Taoiseach and Tánaiste are representing the Government and the Taoiseach felt it appropriate to invite the leader of the Opposition as a reflection of the broader body politic", she said.
The delegation is expected to be back in time for the Tánaiste to attend the opening of the PD conference in Cork on Friday night.