President Michael D Higgins will officially open the Irish National Day at Expo 2015 in Milan this morning. Timed to coincide with Bloomsday, the Irish participation at Expo 2015 is called "Origin Green", in relation to the fact the central theme of this Expo is "Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life".
Expo 2015 will see 145 countries, representing 94 per cent of the world’s population, taking part. The focuses will be on food security, food distribution, healthy nutrition, energy, sustainability and smart cities.
Arguably, the first Expo was “The Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations”, held in the Crystal Palace in Hyde Park, London in 1851. It focused essentially on trade and design. Today’s Expo is the world’s biggest non-sporting recurring event.
Having officially launched the Irish day, the President and Mrs Higgins are expected to visit some other national stands, including those of host nation Italy as well as Ethiopia, Guatemala, Kenya, Colombia, Uganda, El Salvador and China.
President Higgins's visit to Expo comes in the same week that US first lady Michelle Obama will visit the exhibition. The White House said that the US pavilion "showcases American leadership on global food and development issues", while Expo 2015 "aligns perfectly" with Mrs Obama's Let's Move initiative, intended to promote healthier eating patterns in the US.
It is not clear if either Mrs Obama or Mr Higgins will follow on from the example of Ecuadorian president Rafael Correa, who on his country's recent national day entertained dignitaries and media to a rendition of Che Sarà.
Mr Higgins will then move on to Rome, where he will meet Italian president Sergio Mattarella and where Il Tradimento e Poesie (Poems and Betrayal), an Italian translation of Mr Higgins's poems, will be launched.
The President and Mrs Higgins return to Ireland tomorrow afternoon.