The President, Mrs McAleese, has left Dublin to pay a pre-Christmas visit to Irish troops on United Nations duty in Liberia.
Mrs McAleese will meet troops drawn primarily from 1 Southern Brigade, Munster, at Camp Clara.
After laying a wreath at the camp's UN memorial, the President will have lunch with the troops and present Christmas cards to the soldiers from their families in Ireland.
Mrs McAleese will also meet representatives of Concern, Trócaire, the Irish Red Cross and Unicef who are involved in humanitarian aid efforts in the region.
The President will pay a courtesy call on the chairman of the National Transitional Government of the Republic of Liberia, Mr Charles Gyude Bryant, who recently visited Ireland.
Before arriving in Liberia, the President will travel to Senegal to meet Mr Abdoulaye Wade, President of the Republic of Senegal in Dakar.