President Connolly arrives in Scotland for official visit

President Catherine Connolly has arrived in Scotland where she will undertake a four-day official visit.

It will begin this morning with a meeting in Edinburgh with the First Minister of Scotland, John Swinney, and the Scottish Minister for Europe, External Relations and Energy, Stephen Gethins.

The President's visit comes at a time when Scottish independence and Irish reunification are to the fore in political discourse in both countries.

This will be the second time the President and the First Minister have met in their respective roles.

John Swinney was the first visiting head of state to be received by President Connolly following her inauguration last year.

At that meeting, the First Minister invited Ms Connolly to visit. Similarly, President Connolly will become the first head of state to be received by the First Minister since the Scottish election in May.

During the course of the visit President Connolly will attend engagements in Edinburgh, Glasgow and the western Isle of Skye.

Much of her itinerary will focus on a shared cultural and linguistic heritage, social inclusion initiatives and the impact of the Irish diaspora in Scotland.

The President will be accompanied by her husband Brian McEnery during the visit.

Later this morning Ms Connolly will visit the National Library of Scotland to view some of the precious items held in the collections there, such as the final letter written by Mary, Queen of Scots.

She will also meet the team working on the 'Across these Islands' project which aims to widen access to national collections held in Ireland, Scotland, Wales and England.

This four-year initiative receives its funding through the UK–Ireland Shared Island Cultural Co-operation Programme.

The President will then visit the Royal Society of Edinburgh where she will be awarded an Honorary Fellowship.

While there Ms Connolly will be given an overview of the 'Silent Harm' project which is a key bilateral programme supporting deaf victims of gender-based violence in rural areas.

Shared linguistic heritage

The President will also meet with members of the Network of Academics for Irish and Scottish Engagement (NAOISE).

The network, which was established in Edinburgh by the Irish government in 2025, aims to deepen academic partnerships and collaboration between institutions in Ireland and Scotland.

In a statement ahead of the official visit, President Connolly said: "I am very pleased to have the opportunity of making an Official Visit to Scotland and building on my engagement with the First Minister in the opening weeks of my Presidency.

"Ireland and Scotland are bound by strong ties of friendship, culture and language, with people moving between our countries for centuries.

"I am very much looking forward to meeting with those involved in many of the projects bringing our people together over the coming days, as well as meeting with members of the Irish community in Scotland," she added.

President Connolly will spend two days in Glasgow where her itinerary will include engagements with Irish and Scottish community organisations and a visit to a primary school which includes Gaelic football and hurling in its sports curriculum.

A shared linguistic heritage will be recognised during Ms Connolly's visit to Sabhal Mór Ostaig, the National Centre for Gaelic Language and Culture situated on the Isle of Skye.