Making the Caledonian connection

He measured his life out with coffee spoons, claimed T. S. Eliot's character, Prufrock. The lives of those involved in the diplomatic service tend to be measured by a sequence of postings in Dublin and abroad. Taking on a particular assignment commonly results in a lifelong preoccupation with a country that may not previously have commanded much personal attention.

So it was for me with Scotland. Before being assigned to Edinburgh a little more than a year ago, my personal Caledonian connection had been restricted to one official visit and a short family holiday.

While Ireland's relationship with our neighbouring island is a source of perennial interest, like many others I had in the past tended to think exclusively in terms of an "Anglo-Irish" relationship, casually if inadvertently omitting our Celtic friends from the equation. Needless to say, that oversight has been rectified in a big way over the past year, not just on a personal basis, but, I believe, also in terms of the official ties between the two countries. Scotland is important to Ireland. It is a close neighbour with whom we have a great deal in common. It has a very substantial community of Irish descent, the product of generations of emigration into the country's industrial heartlands. Although this influx peaked in the late 19th century, there are still as many as 50,000 Irish-born people living in Scotland.

Quite a number of first and second generation Irish continue to associate themselves quite passionately with their ancestral homeland as the prevalence of tricolours and Ulster flags at Scottish football grounds will testify. There is a shared cultural heritage which manifests itself most strongly in music and in the close linguistic affinities between Irish and Gaelic. I often hear a familiar Irish traditional tune and find that the musicians cannot be sure if its origins are Irish, Scottish, or both. Glasgow's annual Celtic Connections Festival is one of the most important Celtic music events anywhere. Neglected links between Irish and Gaelic-speaking communities are being reestablished under the auspices of the Columba Initiative sponsored by the two governments. A recent edition of The Stornoway Gazette carried extensive coverage of a visit to Connemara by a Gaelic-speaking delegation from the Hebridean Isle of Lewis, a connection that would hardly have been feasible until recent times.

Scottish shinty clubs are now regular visitors to Ireland, celebrating their game's affinities with hurling. Our two countries are already active trading partners and this business relationship is being fostered through the setting up of a Scottish-Irish Business Forum which seeks to provide a platform for increased flows of trade, investment and business collaborations in third countries. Some 120 Irish companies are pursuing business opportunities in Scotland while Ireland is Scotland's 13th most important export market.

Tourism flows in both directions are on the increase. While we will remain competitors in many areas, there is clear potential for a deepening of commercial ties between a rapidly expanding Irish economy and a Scotland that is going through a period of political and economic change. In the global, knowledge-based economy, it behoves smaller economies like ours, not only to compete, but also to look for opportunities to co-operate where this makes sense. The advent of Scottish devolution has introduced a new and, I believe, highly positive element into the existing relationship. Many of the policy responsibilities devolved to Scotland are ones where we inevitably have shared concerns - environment, transport, and agriculture to name a few. There are also areas where we face a similar set of challenges - health, drug abuse and combating poverty and social exclusion.

While external relations matters are reserved for Westminster, there is a recognition of the exceptional circumstances pertaining to Ireland on account of geographical proximity. Accordingly, the arrangements agreed between London and the devolved administrations allow for the development of separate bilateral links with Ireland. It is a fortunate coincidence that the Scottish devolution has become a reality at a time of hope and opportunity in the evolution of the peace process. The political changes implied by the devolution process were recognised in the negotiations leading to the Good Friday (Belfast) Agreement which included a decision to establish a British-Irish Council (or "Council of the Isles" as it is commonly referred to in Scotland, evoking memories of ancient dynastic ties).

When the Council is inaugurated, it will bring Scottish and Irish leaders into formal political dialogue for the first time. Scotland and Wales will enrich this dialogue with their own perspectives. In Scotland's case, proximity to Northern Ireland and connections through emigration with both political traditions there, is a potential asset in what will inevitably be a long-term effort to deepen mutual understanding and promote genuine reconciliation. The Consulate General was opened in Edinburgh in September 1998, just five months after the conclusion of the Good Friday (Belfast) Agreement. This move signalled the Irish Government's commitment to a new relationship with our neighbouring island. It represented a recognition of Scotland's emergence as a distinctive political entity within the UK.

There has been a genuine spurt in political contact between Dublin and Edinburgh during the past year. Irish-Scottish contacts have flourished in spite of the delay in establishing the British-Irish Council. The Taoiseach, Tanaiste, Minister for Foreign Affairs David Andrews and Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs Dermot Ahern have all been in Scotland while Scotland's First Minister, Donald Dewar, had detailed and wide-ranging discussions during a recent visit to Ireland. Further contact at ministerial and political level is in the pipeline.

This burgeoning official dialogue reflects an awareness that there is much to be gained from this relationship between neighbouring countries of similar size, population and economic structure.

The visit of President McAleese, who will be the first head of state to arrive in Scotland since devolution, represents a culmination of this recent intensification of political contact and will, I am sure, provide a platform for further developments ahead.

My first year in Scotland has been an absorbing experience. It has been a privilege to observe at close quarters the evolution of innovative political institutions, and to witness the emergence of a new group of Scottish leaders. Some who were prospective election candidates when I first met them a year ago have since become members of parliament or of the Scottish Executive.

The Edinburgh Parliament, whose formal opening in July was a memorable celebration of the Scottish democratic spirit, must be among the most youthful and gender-balanced in the world. It functions with an admirable blend of dignity and refreshing informality.

AS Ireland's Consul General, I have been made to feel very welcome. Many Scots felt our arrival here to have been long overdue. Everywhere I go, I encounter a genuine interest in Ireland and a desire to reinforce old links while nurturing new ones.

The setting up of a Research Institute of Irish and Scottish Studies, which President McAleese will inaugurate, points to a heightened interest in all things Irish, even in a part of Scotland that does not have strong traditional connections across the Irish Sea.

In my experience, Scots are acutely aware of the rapid economic changes that have transformed Ireland over the last decade. There is a keenness to tap into our experience and explore its potential implications for their own future development.

There is much that we in Ireland can learn from Scotland's record as one of the oldest industrial economies in the world which has acquired an outstanding reputation in the financial services sector. Notwithstanding our very different historical experience and constitutional status, I am convinced that there is great scope for partnership between us and considerable mutual benefit to be derived from the experience.

Daniel Mulhall has been Ireland's Consul General in Scotland since the establishment of the Consulate General in September 1998. He can be contacted at info@congenirl.totalserve.co.uk