Details of Queen's NI visit revealed

The Queen during her last visit to Northern Ireland

Details of the Queen's visit to Northern Ireland as part of her Golden Jubilee tour have been announced.

Her Majesty will arrive in the province on 13 May for a three-day visit, when she will be accompanied by her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh.

The Northern Ireland Secretary, John Reid, revealed details of the tour on Wednesday.

During her visit the Queen will attend a garden party at Hillsborough Castle in County Down, and one at Loughry College in County Tyrone.

New era

A special service to mark the Queen's golden jubilee will also be held at St Anne's Cathedral in Belfast and the Queen is expected to participate in a number of other engagements across the province during her stay.

She last visited the province in November 2001 when she toured a number of towns during a one-day visit.

There was speculation following the visit, that the Queen may be preparing to visit Dublin for the first time to signal the start of a new era in Anglo-Irish relations.

It is believed any planned visit would probably be after the Golden Jubilee Year.

It would be the first visit to the Republic of Ireland by a reigning British monarch since the country achieved independence nearly 80 years ago.