Irish president continues first official visit to GB

The Irish president is in the second day of her three-day official visit to London and Leeds.

Catherine Connolly spent Tuesday afternoon visiting the Chelsea Flower Show, before making an appearance at the London Irish Centre in Camden.

On Monday, she met King Charles III where she invited the King to make a state visit to Ireland, which he "graciously accepted".

Connolly's visit to England comes as the King and Queen Camilla made their first visit of the year to Northern Ireland.

Connolly's trip began on Monday with a visit to the Irish Cultural Centre in Hammersmith, London, where she said some Irish people were leaving Ireland because of a lack of housing.

She also met those participating in an Irish language class, and enjoyed some musical and dance performances.

It is Connolly's first official visit to Great Britain since her inauguration in November.

On Wednesday, Connolly's trip will conclude with visits to Leeds University and Leeds Irish Centre.

President Connolly will be briefed on the work of the Irish Health Centre in Leeds and will also meet representatives of other Irish centres in the region.

It is the third official visit the president has undertaken since commencing her term of office, following visits to Northern Ireland and Spain.

The Irish president's trip comes following the detention of her sister, Dr Margaret Connolly.

Dr Connolly was part of an aid flotilla to Gaza which was intercepted in international waters and boarded by Israeli forces on Monday.

The flotilla organisers said 10 boats in a 60-vessel convoy were intercepted.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the raid was "effectively neutralising a malicious plan designed to break the isolation we have imposed on Hamas terrorists in Gaza".