Irish president meets Swinney at start of four-day visit to Scotland

Ireland’s President Catherine Connolly has met First Minister John Swinney at the start of a four-day visit to Scotland.

Swinney was joined by his wife as he greeted Connolly and her husband before a meeting at Bute House.

Last November the SNP leader became the first overseas leader to meet the president, at her official residence in Dublin, following her inauguration.

During her time in Scotland Connolly will receive an honorary fellowship from the Royal Society of Edinburgh.

She will also learn more about a project it funds with the Royal Irish Academy that works to help deaf victims of gender-based violence in rural areas.

The president will then travel to Glasgow, Coatbridge and the Isle of Skye, where she will visit Sabhal Mor Ostaig, Scotland’s National Centre for Gaelic Language and Culture.

In a statement, she said: “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.”