Irish delegation to visit Ibrahim Halawa in Egyptian jail

"The invitation is to meet with President al-Sisi and members of his government and indeed with the secretary-general of the Arab League," O Fearghail said.

"In the course of these meetings we will be discussing a range of important, bilateral issues, and of course the issue of Ibrahim Halawa will be raised at those meetings."

The 21-year-old - who was arrested when he was 17-years-old -  has been in detention for three-and-a-half years.

He was arrested during anti-government protests in Cairo in 2013 and has been charged with inciting violence, rioting and sabotage.

Since his detention began, Ireland has lobbied for Halawa's release and deportation to his home country, however these efforts have been met with little success.

On 8 July, both houses of Ireland's parliament passed motions with cross-party support that protested Halawa's detention. Egyptian parliamentarians responded to their Irish counterparts, however, by saying that their requests were an attempt to interfere in the affairs of Egypt's judiciary.

Egyptian authorities under President Sisi have arrested tens of thousands of activists as part of an ongoing campaign to suppress political dissent in the country.

Hundreds have been killed since 2013 when Sisi took power in a coup from Egypt's first democratically-elected president, and over 40,000 people are believed to have been jailed.

Halawa's trial has been adjourned 17 times, with no clear timetable yet for a decision on his case.

If found guilty, the 21-year old could face the death penalty.