President of Ireland Concludes Successful Visit To Scotland

The President of Ireland Michael D Higgins (Irish: Mícheál D. Ó hUiginn) is about to conclude a successful four day official visit to Scotland. During his visit he has met with Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and addressed members of the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh. The Scottish First Minister said that Ireland was an important friend to Scotland and she looked forward to strengthening links between the countries.

President Higgins described the historic and continuing important links between the countries and said the heritage, culture and language of the two nations were “deeply interwoven”, He pointed out that this allowed for a “profound connection and understanding” between the people of Ireland and Scotland. “Many Irish and Scottish people have created new homes and forged new lives across the globe. He went on to say: “Wherever they went they integrated into society and left their indelible marks on their new communities, especially through our unique, overlapping cultures of music and dance.”