The President Michael D Higgins and the Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore will travel to South Africa this Tuesday to attend a memorial service for the late Nelson Mandela at Johannasburg football stadium.

The former South African President died on Thursday evening.

The body of the 95 year old will lie in state in Pretoria, from Wednesday to Friday, before his State funeral takes place next Sunday, December 15th.

World leaders who are due to attend the memorial service including the US President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle, and former US Presidents George W Bush and Bill Clinton.

A week of national mourning has now begun in South Africa.

Candles have been lit and a huge carpet of flowers have been left in tribute to Nelson Mandela outside his home in Johannesburg.

Here at home, Irish people will pay their respects to the late Nelson Mandela today as a number of Books of Condolence open across the country.

Books will open at Limerick City Hall, NUI Galway and St Patrick's Cathedral - while a book, which opened at the Mansion House in Dublin yesterday, will be also be available over the weekend.

The South African Embassy in Dublin will be opening one on Monday.

The Dunne Stores anti-apartheid strikers will sign the book of condolence at the Mansion House at 5 o'clock this evening. 

The 11 cashiers went on strike in 1984 until 1986 after they refused to handle any goods being imported from South Africa, in protest against the Apartheid regime. 

The strike only ended when the Irish Government agreed to ban the importation of South African fruit and veg until the apartheid regime was overthrown.

Nelson Mandela met almost all of the strikers when he visited Dublin in 1990 except for Mary Manning and Vonnie Munroe, who had emigrated to Australia.

Another Dunne Stores striker, Brendan Archbold also met Nelson Mandela in 2008 while on a family holiday in South Africa.