President Mary McAleese has arrived in Atlanta, Georgia, at the start of a week-long visit to the US.
The trip is aimed at strengthening links with the Irish community in the US.
President McAleese will also undertake a diverse range of engagements to promote Irish/American political, education, trade and cultural links.
Today she will visit the Atlanta History Centre where she will view the papers of US civil rights leader Dr Martin Luther King.
Mrs McAleese's visit to Atlanta will also include tours of two of its universities, Georgia Tech and Emory.
The president will then travel to upstate New York where she will visit Syracuse University.
Later in the week, a visit to New York City will involve trips to the Irish community centres in the Bronx, Queens and Long Island.
On Thursday President McAleese will receive the American Ireland Fund Humanitarian Award for her work in fostering reconciliation between communities in Northern Ireland.
