An Irish Cabinet Minister will fly to Shanghai from Dublin this weekend to take part in the city's inaugural St Patrick's Ball, the Consul General for Ireland in Shanghai, Nicholas O'Brien, said yesterday.

Dick Roche, the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, will represent the Irish Government and oversee St Patrick's Day celebrations as guest-of-honor at the ball to be held in the Pudong Shangri-La hotel. It will be his first visit to Shanghai.

He is the latest in a parade of Irish Cabinet Ministers to visit Shanghai for trade and cultural talks in recent months. In January, Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern led the biggest Irish delegation ever to visit China in talks held in Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong.

The ball on Saturday night will be held ahead of St Patrick's Day - Ireland's National Day - which falls on March 17. Consul General O'Brien said all tickets for the ball were sold out months ago.