New York senator and former First Lady Ms Hillary Clinton is in Dublin today for political and business talks in a bid to boost trade links between Ireland and the USA.
She will meet the President, Mrs Mary McAleese and the Taoiseach Mr Bertie Ahern on the first day of the two-day visit.
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Mrs Hillary Clinton
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Later, the wife of former US president Mr Bill Clinton will meet a delegation from the business community before giving a keynote speech to an audience of more than 1,000 people at the Dublin Chamber of Commerce gala dinner in the Burlington Hotel.
A spokesman for the chamber said Mrs Clinton was travelling to Dublin with a team of around 20 businessmen and women, including members of the Atlantic Corridor organisation which promotes trade between Ireland and America.
She will meet Mr Ahern at Government Buildings this morning, before talks with business leaders this afternoon.
The day was ending with a speech before 1,100 guests at the chamber's gala dinner - with the Tánaiste Ms Mary Harney on the guest list alongside Northern Ireland Deputy First Minister Mr Mark Durkan.
Mr Durkan's predecessor as SDLP leader, Nobel Peace Prize winner Mr John Hume, is also due to attend.
Tomorrow Mrs Clinton will announce the establishment of a major biopharmaceutical research institute by Dublin City University and the Athlone Institute of Technology.
The new institute will be based in Athlone and have links with Columbia University and the University of Buffalo in New York.