Taoiseach to attend gay pride breakfast
Leo Varadkar, Ireland's first openly gay leader, will visit the event in Belfast as part of his first visit to Northern Ireland as Taoiseach.
Last updated 5th Aug 2017
Mr Varadkar took over from Enda Kenny as the Irish Prime Minister in June.
Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK where same-sex marriage remains banned.
The Republic voted to change the law in a referendum in 2015.
8,000 people are due to parade through Belfast city centre on Saturday to march in support of a law change in Northern Ireland.
Earlier this week, the Irish Prime Minister said his visit was not intended to unsettle anyone who holds a different view on same-sex marriage.
He added it was the responsibility of politicians here to introduce the change in Northern Ireland.
The issue is one of the major stumbling blocks in the ongoing Stormont crisis.
Sinn Fein are in support of a change in the law while the DUP are against it.
The party has used the petition of concern to prevent the legislation in the past, despite most Assembly members supporting the move.
The DUP rejects any suggestion it is homophobic, insisting it is protecting the "traditional'' definition of marriage, and has called for tolerance of what are increasingly minority views.
For the first time,
A rainbow Pride flag was raised at Stormont House for the first time on Friday to mark the city's festival.