Irish president heads to Australia

Irish President Michael Higgins will visit Canberra, Sydney and Hobart next week.

Mr Higgins, who will be in Australia from October 15 to 17, will be the first Irish head of state to officially visit since Mary McAleese in 1998.

"Our two countries share deep historical and people-to-people links and the Irish have contributed immeasurably to modern day Australia," Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said in a statement on Thursday.