President Michael D Higgins will attend funeral of David Trimble in Lisburn on Monday

The Head of State will join the Head of Government, Taoiseach Micheál Martin, at the final obsequies for the former First Minister of Northern Ireland and ex-leader of the Ulster Unionists.

President Higgins last year refused to accept an invitation to a ceremony marking the centenary of Northern Ireland, organised by the Christian churches.

His declining of an invitation sparked a major controversy both North and South of the border. The President said points he had raised in response to the initial outreach had not been addressed.

He also stated that he had been incorrectly addressed, as his title was ‘President of Ireland’ — a contention that sparked adverse comment North of the border.

President Higgins said the title, ‘A service of reflection and hope to mark the centenary of the partition of Ireland and the formation of Northern Ireland,’ was not politically neutral.

Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney and Chief Whip Jack Chambers finally attended the event in Co Armagh to represent the Government and people of Ireland.

Boris Johnson, the British Prime Minister of the time, was in attendance. But the Queen could not fulfil an original commitment to be present because of health issues.

A spokesman for the President told Independent.ie that Michael D. Higgins would attend the funeral of David Trimble, who was a joint Nobel prize winner with John Hume of the SDLP.

They are expected to be joined by a number of Government ministers, although it is unclear if the Tánaiste, Leo Varadkar, will be in attendance.

Nor is there any clarity as to whether Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald will attend, although Northern Ireland First-Minister-in-waiting Michelle O’Neill will certainly be present.

A spokeswoman for former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern said he was at present on a family holiday, believed to be in the Mediterranean, but was looking at possible options.

The fact that the funeral is being held on a bank holiday in the Republic of Ireland in seen as a complicating factor, while RTE is studying the feasibility of a live broadcast.

Last year’s event to mark 100 years since the partition of Ireland, which was boycotted by the President, was established by a group comprising leaders from the Church of Ireland, Roman Catholic, Methodist and Presbyterian faiths.

Sinn Féin also declined to send a representative to the event subsequent to the President’s decision.

When sending Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney and Government Chief Whip Jack Chambers, the Government was forced to also express its “full support and understanding for the decision made by President Higgins with regard to his attendance at the event.

"That decision was quite properly made by the President, and was based on concerns that he had consistently expressed", a Government statement said.

DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson, UUP leader Doug Beattie, Naomi Long of the Alliance Party and SDLP leader Colum Eastwood will also be present at the Trimble funeral.