Canadian prime minister Mark Carney will begin a two-day visit to Ireland on Saturday.It will be the first bilateral visit to Ireland by a Canadian prime minister in almost 10 years, and the first ever official visit to Co Mayo.Carney, a former governor of the Bank of England, will meet Taoiseach Micheál Martin and President Catherine Connolly.Carney is the grandson of Irish emigrants who were born in Co Mayo and emigrated more than 100 years ago to Canada.Carney, accompanied by his wife Diana Fox Carney, will carry out a series of engagements in Dublin and Co Mayo.He has familial links to Ireland through his grandfather Robert Carney, who was from Aghagower Westport in Co Mayo, and his grandmother Nora Moran, who was from the nearby townland of Mace.He will visit both Ireland and Paris on his way to attend the upcoming 2026 G7 Leader’s Summit in Evian, France.His official schedule will see him in Dublin on Saturday, where he will hold a meeting with the Taoiseach and will also be a guest at an official dinner in Dublin Castle. Carney will then travel to Mayo to meet President Connolly.The Taoiseach said he will be honoured to welcome Carney to Ireland. “It will be an excellent occasion to celebrate and strengthen the bilateral relationship between Ireland and Canada,” he said. “The strategic economic partnership we are due to sign on this visit will map the various strands in our relationship and how we can enhance these in the years ahead.“With such strong Irish heritage, it will also be an opportunity for Prime Minister Carney to celebrate and explore his Irish heritage, and I know Mayo is looking forward to welcoming him home.”[ The Irish Times view on Mark Carney: setting an exampleOpens in new window ]The Government has hailed the visit as a “significant milestone” in relations between the two countries.It said Ireland and Canada enjoy deep historical ties, with 4.4 million Canadians — more than 12 per cent of the population — claiming Irish heritage. The Government also said Canada contributed to peace and reconciliation on the island of Ireland.Carney and Martin will on Saturday announce a new “bilateral co-operation framework” on trade and investment, life sciences, research and innovation, and security and defence.[ ‘He looks awful like Gramps Carney’: Mayo relatives set for visit of Canada’s PMOpens in new window ]Canadian investment in Ireland has increased by 131 per cent since 2016 and Ireland is now Canada’s eighth largest foreign investor.The visit also comes after the Oireachtas passed the Arbitration Amendment Act, which enables Ireland to proceed to ratify the comprehensive economic and trade agreement (Ceta) once the legislation is signed by the President.