TAOISEACH Enda Kenny has said Pope Francis has confirmed he will visit Ireland in just under two years time
The visit is set to take place August 2018, he said, after meeting with the Pope at the Vatican on Monday.
Dublin hosts the World Meeting of Families that year.
There are details yet on whether Pope Francis will travel to the North of Ireland.
But Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness said he believed the Pope would cross the border and visit the North.
When asked by journalists why he was so certain, Mr McGuinness replied: “I’ve been around a long time and I know how these things work.”