Around 2,000 anti-war protesters held a demonstration in front of police lines near the village of Hillsborough close to where the US President George W Bush was meeting British Prime Minister Tony Blair this evening.
The protesters gathered at a carpark in the village from all corners of the country before marching towards the castle.
The march split into two groups at around 7 p.m., one stopping beside a platform erected for speakers to address the crowd, while the remainder continued towards Hillsborough Castle, which is 6 miles from the Co Down village.
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President George W. Bush meets Britain's Prime MinisterTony Blair at Hillsborough Castle, in Co Down.
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More than a mile from the castle the marchers encountered a tight security cordon of riot police. The protesters held a peaceful protest before the crowd began to dissipate as daylight faded after 8 p.m.
Inside Hillsborough Castle, Mr Bush and Mr Blair were discussing the situation in Iraq as well as the Northern Ireland peace process and the situation in the Middle East.
Mr Blair's official spokesman told journalists: "We are making progress on the ground but we are being very cautious about stating how near the end of the conflict we may or may not be. It is dangerous ... to take victory for granted in any way.
"Therefore we will take it day by day. We will not make predictions about when the end might be. As the President said at the Camp David summit it will take as long as it takes."
The spokesman sought to play down suggestions of major differences between London and Washington over the role which the United Nations could play in a post-conflict Iraq.
The Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, is due to join Mr Bush and Mr Blair tomorrow afternoon to discuss the Northern Ireland peace process. Mr Ahern will also discuss the Iraq crisis with Mr Bush. It is expected that Mr Ahern will tell Mr Bush that the UN should have a leading role in the rebuilding of post-war Iraq.
The size of the security operation was criticised by protesters. On journey up to Hillsborough Mr Richard Boyd Barrett, chairman of the Irish Anti-War Movement, told ireland.com: "I think it is completely over the top. There is no justification for having a huge security presence for what is going to be an entirely peaceful protest".
"We know we're not going to get anywhere near [the summit]," said Mr John Connolly, a nurse from South Armagh who is travelling up from Dublin.
"But we still have to show Bush and Blair that there is massive opposition in Ireland to their military campaign, otherwise where will it stop?"
Mrs Betty Murphy, a retired shop manager from Bray said that George Bush had "some nerve" in coming to Ireland. She told ireland.comshe was apprehensive about the police presence. "It will be a different matter altogether to our police in the South," she said, "although they behaved atrociously outside the Dail last Wednesday."
"I don't know what to expect but I'm still going. Ordinary people cannot be put off doing what's right because of intimidation."
Margaret, a 21-year-old student from Dublin, was keen to explain that the march was neither pro-Saddam nor anti-American. "We're not anti-US, or anti-British, we're against policies of their governments."
"If Saddam Hussein came to Ireland we'd protest against him too."