The President-elect, Mrs Mary McAleese, has requested that "while acknowledging the traditions and customs of the day, guests should dress informally" at her inauguration ceremony in Dublin Castle, tomorrow. A Government spokeswoman confirmed that dress would be informal and said that at President Robinson's inauguration seven years ago "some people dressed formally and others didn't. This time it was felt that dress should be informal".
The President-elect, who made a brief appearance on the Late Late Show on Friday, hoped there would not be too much formality in her new job. She hoped she could walk down the street like everybody else and go into a restaurant with her children like she had always done.
The ceremony, which will begin at noon and is expected to last 50 minutes, will be televised live on RTE. About 600 guests will be in attendance.
The general public can get in on the act and join the festivities later. A major fireworks display has been organised in the Phoenix Park, starting at 6.30 p.m.
More than 600 children from primary and secondary schools in each of the 32 counties will gather in the Castle Yard as Mrs McAleese passes through for the ceremony in St Patrick's Hall. They will be greeted afterwards by the new President.
Mrs McAleese has also requested that people be invited representing 25 strands of Irish life which she has defined. These include a unionist from Northern Ireland, a farmer, a garda, a nurse, a journalist, an islander, a dancer, a politician, an entrepreneur, an unemployed person, a Down's Syndrome person, a peacekeeping soldier, a waitress, an elderly person and a child. They will sit in the front row of the hall and she will greet them after she receives her seal of office.
A specially commissioned piece of music called An Droichead (The Bridge) will be played by uileann piper, Liam Og O Floinn, who composed the work.
Mrs McAleese will host a reception for up to 200 people at 5.30 p.m. at Aras An Uachtaran. She has also expanded the invitation list for the lunch at 1.15 p.m. It will now include up to 70 or 80 people representing various strands of Irish life, as well as members of the Government and the Council of State.
The Sinn Fein leader, Gerry Adams, has confirmed that he will attend President-elect McAleese's inauguration tomorrow.