More than 5,000 people are expected to attend the commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the assassination of Michael Collins in Cork next weekend.
Collins was shot dead during an ambush at Béal na Bláth on August 22, 1922, while touring West Cork during the Irish Civil War.
Taoiseach and Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin and Tánaiste and Fine Gael leader Leo Varadkar will deliver a historic address at the site of Collins' assassination in Béal na Bláth at 3 p.m. on Sunday, August 21, to mark the 100th anniversary of his death.
It will mark the first time that a Fianna Fáil leader has addressed the commemoration of Ireland's most famous and most prominent pro-treaty general.
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A major traffic and crowd plan is in place for the event, involving the Defence Forces, An Garda Síochána, Cork County Council, and the emergency services.
Anyone planning to attend the event is urged to ride share or make use of shuttle buses to get to and from Béal na Bláth.
Cork City Councillor Garret Kelleher, who is Chairman of the Michael Collins Memorial Committee, told RTÉ News that members of the committee are very pleased with the level of interest for "such a significant anniversary".
"We look forward to welcoming our two guest speakers, who as the modern-day leaders of the parties which emerged from the Civil War have shown the maturity and leadership to set aside historic differences of opinion and work together," Kelleher said.
Dozens of events got underway in Cork over the weekend ahead of next weekend's commemoration.
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The village of Newcestown hopes to mark the centenary by setting the world record for having the most people named Michael Collins in the same place, while walking tours and exhibitions have been organized in Cork to mark the anniversary.
The world premiere of a new film about the life of a young Michael Collins is set to take place on Tuesday, with both showings completely sold out.
"Tales from Home" is an 11-minute film shot locally by the children and staff of Lisavaird National School where Collins attended as a child. The school register containing Collins' name is on permanent display in the school.
The film includes re-enactions of stories from Collins' childhood and school principal Kieran O'Donovan told RTÉ that staff and students at the school wanted to portray the "innocent" side of the War of Independence.
"The teaching of history in terms of the War of Independence can be fragile, especially when you talk about the Civil War," he told RTÉ.
"We tried to stay away from that and portray the innocent side of things - that he was a boy from Lisavaird before he was the Big Fella and let the children make that connection."
In Clonakilty, meanwhile, five diaries written by Collins between 1918 and 1922 have gone on display for the very first time.
The diaries, which are on display at the Michael Collins House Museum in Clonakilty, were loaned to the National Archives by the late Liam and Betty Collins - two descendants of the famous revolutionary.
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