European relations: Ireland needs our friends in EU

Whatever the shape of the next European Parliament and whatever the final outcome of Brexit, it is vital to Irish interests that we maintain and foster good relations with as many of our friends and neighbours as possible, in particular smaller nations that, by virtue of their limited scale, tend to have similar problems to us.

In the past few days, we have been given a unique opportunity to do just that. Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has already seen the value of direct contact with political leaders here, as she arrived in Dublin in jubilant mood after her Scottish National Party party took three of her nation’s six European Parliament seats.