PRESIDENT Michael D Higgins is to travel across the border for the first time since his re-election in November to attend the funeral of former Belfast lord mayor Ian Adamson.
Dr Adamson died on Wednesday at the age of 74.
His funeral will be held at Conlig Presbyterian Church at 10.30am today followed by burial in Roselawn Cemetery.
Dr Adamson, a former Ulster Unionist MLA who spoke both Ulster Scots and Irish, was a friend of President Higgins.
A qualified paediatrician, Dr Adamson was a specialist in community child health and also acted as Dr Ian Paisley's personal physician.
He founded the Somme Association and established the Somme Heritage Centre in Conlig.
Dr Adamson was an Ulster Unionist Belfast councillor from 1989 to 2011. He was lord mayor in 1996/97.
He was also an Ulster Unionist MLA for East Belfast from 1998 to 2003.
President Higgins said last week that Dr Adamson's "legacy consists of not only his academic work, but also of his calls to courage and his practical solidarity with those most vulnerable".
"He consistently pointed to education as a key tool to overcome fear of the unknown and fear of the other," he said.
Dr Adamson is survived by his wife Kerry.