President McAleese will attend an exhibition commemorating the Irish contribution to the Battle of the Somme with DUP First Minister Ian Paisley in Newtonards later today.
It will be the first official meeting between the two leaders since Mr Paisley became First Minister of the Stormont Assembly in May.
The Somme Heritage Centre is hosting an exhibition on the 16th (Irish) Division which captured the villages of Guillemont and Ginchy during the Battle of the Somme in 1916.
Earlier today, the President attended a function at Newtownards Town Hall where she met the Community Forum which included representatives from local community groups, the PSNI, the Youth Service, representatives of the loyalist community and members of the local clergy.
Following this evening's visit to the Somme Heritage Centre, President McAleese will attend the 30th anniversary dinner of the Institute of Professional Legal Studies at Queens University Belfast.
The Institute is responsible for the vocational training of trainee barristers and solicitors in the North.