The President, Mrs McAleese, arrived in Lisbon last night for the start of a three-day state visit to Portugal today.
She and her husband, Dr Martin McAleese, accompanied by the Minister for Communications, Mr Ahern, and Mrs Ahern, were met at Lisbon airport by the Irish Ambassador, Mr Patrick O'Connor.
This morning there will be a ceremonial welcome at the Palacio de Belem by the President of Portugal, Dr Jorge Sampaio.
After lunch with Dr Sampaio, Mrs McAleese will lay a wreath at the tomb of Luis Vaz de Camoes, the national poet, at the Mosteiro dos Jeronimos, and then visit the Assembly of the Republic.
Tonight, the President and Dr McAleese are guests of honour at a state dinner in the Ajuda Palace hosted by President Sampaio and Mrs Sampaio.
Tomorrow, Mrs McAleese visits the Convento do Bom Successo in central Lisbon, where Irish Dominican nuns have taught for generations. Several Irish nuns are still attached to the convent.
Later, after receiving the key to the city of Lisbon at the City Hall, Mrs McAleese attends a lunch hosted by Prime Minister Jose Manuel Durao Barroso.
In the afternoon, she addresses the law school of the University of Lisbon.
On Wednesday, the President is guest of honour at a business breakfast hosted by Enterprise Ireland, and then drives south of Lisbon for a sightseeing visit to the cathedral city of Evora, a UNESCO heritage centre.
On Wednesday evening, she hosts a return reception in honour of President Sampaio and his wife in Lisbon, where traditional Irish musicians Liam Óg O'Flynn, Paddy Glacken and Arty McGlynn will entertain the guests.
The presidential party arrives back in Dublin at midnight.
This is Mrs McAleese's first state visit to Portugal, a country which, after Spain, is the second most popular destination for Irish holidaymakers. The number of Portuguese visiting Ireland is growing rapidly. Trade between the two countries is also increasing each year.
Former President Mrs Mary Robinson paid a state visit to Portugal in 1991, and President Sampaio visited Ireland in 1999.