Taoiseach Bertie Ahern has welcomed Northern Ireland First Minister Ian Paisley on his first official visit to the Republic since his recent appointment.
The closing day of the St Andrews talks in Scotland last October was the 50th wedding anniversary of Ian and Eileen Paisley.
To mark the occasion, the Taoiseach had presented the couple with a walnut bowl, crafted from a centuries-old tree taken from the Battle of the Boyne site.
The DUP leader today kept a promise made then to visit the site where the armies of William of Orange and Catholic King James II clashed in 1690.
The two men toured a multi-million euro restoration project at Oldbridge House, close to the battle site, and planted a walnut tree. The DUP leader said the symbolic gesture was an indicator of a good future.
Mr Paisley also presented the Taoiseach with a musket which dates back to 1685, used in both the Battle of the Boyne and the siege of Derry.
Mr Ahern said that the Boyne site was an important place for the Protestant, unionist and loyalist people of Ireland, but he said the site's importance extended beyond its significance for one tradition.
The Taoiseach said that when Mr Paisley had accepted his invitation to visit the site, he stated that he was not coming to re-fight the battle.
Mr Ahern joked that when he saw the DUP leader arriving this morning bearing a cavalry carbine, he had some brief doubts.
During his visit Mr Paisley also asked the Taoiseach to consider restoring the Obelisk which commemorated the victory of King William.
The monument was blown up in the early part of the last century.
