This article first appeared on Galway Bay FM

Catherine Connolly will be inaugurated as the 10th President of Ireland today.

The ceremony will take place at Dublin Castle this afternoon.

Having served 14 well-regarded years, Michael D Higgins will return to Galway with his wife Sabina.

Catherine Connolly will be the third woman to hold the office.

The President-elect and her husband Brian will be driven from Farmleigh to Dublin Castle this morning where, like every President before her, the inauguration ceremony will take place in St Patrick’s Hall where less than three weeks ago she was announced as the election winner.

Prayers and reflections will be offered by no less than 11 groups including the Catholic Church, Church of Ireland, Presbyterians and both the Jewish and Islamic communities in Ireland.

Chief Justice Donal O’Donnell will get Ms Connolly to read the Presidential Declaration As Gaeilge before trumpeters from the army band announce that she has taken office, and the Presidential standard is raised above Dublin Castle and Aras an Uachtarain.

After speeches from Taoiseach Micheál Martin and the newly minted President, Catherine Connolly will embark on a ceremonial drive to Aras an Uachtarain.