Former president Mary Robinson will be in her hometown of Ballina to meet US President Joe Biden later today.
It is understood she will speak ahead of Mr Biden's address tonight and recite some poetry.
Speaking on RTÉ's News at One, Mrs Robinson said the poem she was "delighted" to be invited to recite - 'The Emigrant Irish’ by Eavan Boland - was not an "easy" one.
"It was before Ireland appreciated its emigrants, we didn't always value our emigrants, who had to leave because of poverty, conflict, sexual orientation - whatever the reason - we didn't value them enough, now we do, now we've learned, thankfully," she said.
Locals have taken to calling Ballina the town of two presidents. Excitement for President Biden's address is building, but Ireland's first female president will also be warmly received in the town.
Mrs Robinson said his visit was "very important" to the people of Ballina as he was "coming back for the third time".
She said: "He came back as vice-president, he came back on a family visit, and now he is coming as president, and the town is full of excitement."
She praised how Mr Biden linked "a clear pleasure and joy" with "serious messages" during his speeches in Ireland.
"He had the ability to have serious messages among all the folksy, being at home with the Irish, which we love, but the serious messages were there."
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The Mary Robinson Centre is nearing completion at her childhood home overlooking the River Moy and directly across from St Muredach's Cathedral.
This is where the US president will make what is anticipated to be a significant address.
Meanwhile, a pop-up display of pieces from Mrs Robinson's vast archive collection from the University of Galway has been assembled for President Biden's visit. It will be available for international media to browse while working from the centre.
Niamh Ní Charra, the archivist at University of Galway, says she is "so privileged" to be working on "this fabulously rich collection, which is housed in over 600 boxes at the University of Galway".
"I have curated the material on display to a select number of items, which will have many links to the US and the strong historic ties between our two countries," she said.
Mary Robinson was the first sitting president to make a state visit to the United States and enjoyed a warm relationship with former US president Bill Clinton.
In a letter on display from the White House in 1995, he applauded the work of then-Taoiseach John Bruton and British Prime Minister John Major in their efforts to achieve peace in Northern Ireland.
"The twin-track process to which Prime Minister Bruton and Prime Minister Major have agreed is an encouraging development in your efforts to achieve a lasting political settlement and I assure you the United States supports your search for peace," President Clinton wrote.
Going forward, the centre will have access to Mrs Robinson's vast digitised archive. Susan Heffernan is project manager.
"That is literally all of the paperwork that relates to Mary's career from the 1970s to today," she said.
"That's unique access to a huge body of material that is very relevant for a lot of researchers and academics and students who are in school and at university level."
It is hoped the visit of Mr Biden to Ballina will help highlight events planned at the centre for Ballina 2023 - celebrating 300 years of the establishment of the town.
Mrs Robinson's work on human rights and climate change will be reflected in international conferences taking place in June and July.
One of her international human rights lecture series will be happening in June with the director of the Centre for Globalisation at Yale University.
In July, an international conference on climate change will take place at the centre as part of the weeklong Sustainability Festival in Ballina.
"All of those things are really at the heart of what we've been doing at the Mary Robinson Centre for quite a while," Ms Heffernan said.
"And that to us reinforces that the local support for this project is there. People are very excited about the opportunity of the project and the potential that it has for Ballina."
This is the former childhood home of Mary Robinson, in a house that adjoined her father's medical practice.
Later tonight, the famous light for the diaspora will burn from one of the windows, making it visible from the stand where Mr Biden will be making his speech.
Last night, sound and lighting checks were being rigorously tested for what promises to be a spectacular night of music and poetry ahead of the US president's centrepiece address.
Already this morning, the sense of excitement is palpable in the town. Local people and visitors are soaking up the sunshine and observing final preparations going on around the town.
A vast swathe of international media, large numbers of secret service agents and a robust garda presence are all busy on the ground.
But the atmosphere is jovial and spirits are high.
Thousands of people are expected to flock to the stage outside St Muredach's Cathedral for what promises to be an unforgettable occasion.
Mairéad Melody works with North Mayo Tourism and says that Mr Biden’s visit will be of "phenomenal" benefit for Mayo.
"After Joe Biden visited in 2016 when he was vice president of America, people asked for years afterwards, 'Where did he go? What did he eat? Who are his cousins? Where did ancestors live?'
"Now, he has honoured his pledge to return as US president and the impact of this visit will be off the scale. From Ballina to Belmullet and beyond, we're beyond excited and cannot wait for tonight."
Irish rock bands The Coronas and The Academic and the legendary Irish folk band The Chieftains will be among the musical acts performing tonight.
