Prime Minister Boris Johnson will visit Northern Ireland to attend a religious service to mark the centenary of the partition and formation of Northern Ireland.
Politicians on both sides of the Irish border will also participate in the inter-community religious service.
Thursday’s event in Armagh was organized by the main leaders of the Protestant and Catholic Church.
The queen was supposed to attend, but was unable to travel for medical reasons.
Irish President Michael D Higgins declined the invitation, believing the service “was not politically neutral”.
Sinn Féin also decided not to participate.
Northern Ireland was founded in May 1921 after the partition of Ireland.
About 150 people will attend the service at St Patrick’s Church of Ireland Cathedral. It has room for 500 but the number has been limited due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Northern Ireland Prime Minister Paul Givan, DUP, will attend, as will DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, Ulster Unionist Party leader Doug Beattie, Alliance leader Naomi Long and SDLP leader Colum Eastwood .
The BBC News NI website has a dedicated section on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the creation of Northern Ireland and the partition of the island.
Special reports on the major figures of the time and the events that shaped modern Ireland are available at bbc.co.uk/ni100.
Year ’21:You can also explore how Northern Ireland was created a hundred years ago in the company of Tara Mills and Declan Harvey.
Listen to the latest Year ’21 podcasts on BBC Sounds or catch up on previous episodes.
Two representatives of the Irish government will be present, Foreign Minister Simon Coveney, a Fine Gael politician, and group leader Jack Chambers, a member of Fianna Fail.
Northern Ireland Deputy Prime Minister Michelle O’Neill of Sinn Fein will not be in service, and neither will Stormont Assembly President Alex Maskey.
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A spokesperson for the assembly said: “The speaker receives a high-level parliamentary delegation, the Swiss parliament’s foreign affairs committee, at the Parliament buildings on Thursday, but has asked Vice-President Roy Beggs MLA to attend in his place. to ensure that the assembly is formally represented in the service of Armagh. “
The sermon will be delivered by Reverend Dr Sahr Yambasu, who was elected President of the Methodist Church in Ireland earlier this year.
Born in Sierra Leone, he is the first African-born leader of a major Irish church.
Speaking to BBC News NI prior to the service, he said he would issue a challenge to the congregation.
“Try to understand our story from the point of view of others and have the humility to respect it, because in conversation we can overcome many differences,” he said.
A small choir of children from different backgrounds in the Armagh area will perform a song.
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