The President, Mrs McAleese, concluded her eight-day trip to Latin America with a visit to the San Patricio Monument in Mexico City yesterday.
This is a memorial to Irish soldiers of the San Patricio Battalion who died fighting for Mexico against the US 150 years ago.
Mrs McAleese said: "Long before coming here, I had heard the story of the Irish soldiers of Mexico, and it is indeed a special privilege to be able to honour their legacy today, here in San Jacinto where so many of them died, close to the site of the famous battle at Churubusco, and the church at Tlatopac where many were buried."
Earlier, Mrs McAleese spoke to an overflow crowd of more than 300 business people at a breakfast. Aides had been warned that early morning business breakfasts, particularly during Easter week when many people are on holiday, were likely to attract sparse attendances.
Instead, they had to make accommodation for the number who wanted to hear the President. Departing from her prepared text, Mrs McAleese noted that while the Republic had a population of 3.5 million, 45 million US citizens claimed Irish descent. Similarly, the Mexican population inside the US was 25 million.
If the Irish and the Mexicans got together they could take over the US, she quipped.
The sedate business crowd erupted in laughter and applause. The dominance of Mexico's US neighbour is a source of antipathy among many business people as well as the general population.
The President is due back in Dublin at about 11 a.m. this morning.