Washington: Dozens of political, community and business leaders from the North arrive in Washington today for three days of intense political and promotional activity leading up to Friday's St Patrick's Day celebration at the White House.
The leaders of Sinn Féin, the Ulster Unionist Party, the SDLP and Alliance will be in the US capital, along with the DUP's Ian Paisley jnr, in his capacity as a member of the North's policing board.
PSNI chief constable Hugh Orde, Police Ombudsman Nuala O'Loan and US Special Envoy Mitchell Reiss will testify today before a House of Representatives subcommittee hearing on "Policing Advances and Remaining Challenges" in the North. Other visitors include Northern Secretary Peter Hain, policing board chairman Sir Des Rea, Human Rights Commission chairman Monica McWilliams and the family of murder victim Robert McCartney. The family of murdered Dublin man Joseph Rafferty will travel to Washington from Dublin.
Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams will spend almost a week in the US, taking part in numerous events in New York and Boston as well as Washington but not engaging in fundraising.
The Taoiseach arrives in Washington from California this evening, in time to attend Irish ambassador Noel Fahey's St Patrick's Day party, along with members of Congress, prominent Irish-Americans and assorted "friends of Ireland". Before the party, Mr Ahern will meet members of the Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform, which campaigns on behalf of undocumented Irish immigrants.
The Taoiseach will spend most of tomorrow on Capitol Hill, meeting senators John McCain, Edward Kennedy, Joseph Biden and Hillary Clinton and attending the congressional speaker's lunch with president George W Bush.
Almost all the prominent Irish visitors to Washington, regardless of their political stripe, will attend tomorrow evening's American Ireland Fund dinner, a black tie event that attracts members of congress and Irish-American business leaders.
On Friday morning, the Taoiseach will present a bowl of shamrock to Mr Bush at the White House and the two men will have a private meeting in the Oval Office before the president hosts a reception for the Northern party leaders, police board members and others.
The Taoiseach will fly back to Dublin after the White House event.