Former president Bill Clinton will visit Ireland North and South later this month it has been announced.

He will visit Belfast along with U.S. economic envoy Declan Kelly on a trip to shore up  the peace process and call for economic investment there.

Recent attacks by dissident republicans groups have made inward investment even more difficult but Clinton is expected to push hard for more U.S. companies to consider Northern Ireland.

His visit comes before an economic conference on Northern Ireland which will take place in Washington on October 19th at which Hillary Clinton will preside.

Envoy Kelly said President  Clinton retained "a passionate interest in NI" and was keen to help improve its economic situation.

Clinton will also travel to Dublin on September 30th where he will be speaker at a dinner honoring American Ireland Fund Chairman Loretta Brennan Glucksman hosted by Business and Finance magazine.

He will also officially open the Clinton Institute for American Studies on the campus. The institute was set up to create links between Ireland adn America.