Ms Nicola Sturgeon:

I thank the Cathaoirleach for his very warm welcome. It is a great honour to be invited to address all of you today. As I understand I am the first serving Head of Government to address the Seanad, it is truly an historic day for all of us. I thank you warmly for giving me the opportunity to join you in these absolutely beautiful surroundings.

Last night I had the pleasure of visiting Trinity College Dublin where, for the first time in my life, I saw the Book of Kells, a moving reminder of how deeply and inextricably linked the peoples and cultures of Ireland and Scotland have always been. When Colmcille travelled from Ireland to Iona in 563, he helped to shape Scotland forever. More than 200 years later, when monks made the corresponding journey from Iona to Ireland, they bequeathed to this country in the Book of Kells one of the great masterpieces of European civilisation. Exchanges in both directions across the Irish Sea have continued ever since, creating a special and unbreakable bond between our two countries. As a student, a lawyer and, most recently, a Member of the Scottish Parliament in the city of Glasgow, I have seen evidence of this bond every day of my adult life and know that it has enhanced Glasgow and Scotland in many ways. One of Scotland's great Gaelic poets, Sorley MacLean, described it as the humanity that the ocean could not break and that 1,000 years had not severed. The strength of the bond is not defined only by the people who have moved between our two countries. Much of the modern history of Scotland and Ireland has been shaped by our experiences of emigration beyond these islands. As a result of this, for all the deep regret we undoubtedly feel about the historic causes of emigration from our shores, both countries can today take great pride in what Scottish and Irish people have achieved overseas. As countries, we are unusually blessed with ambassadors, supporters and advocates in every corner of the globe. When the Irish rugby team beat New Zealand three weeks ago, an event I thought it politic to mention, not least because it gives hope to all of us, they had the good fortune of being able to play at home in the great city of Chicago.

There are two points, in particular, I want to make about our shared history and experiences. As we know, Europe is facing its greatest refugee crisis since the end of the Second World War. Scotland and Ireland know that at other times and in very different circumstances the peoples of our nations were also driven by the instinct for self-preservation and the desire for a better life to seek a future far away from the lands of their birth. This, perhaps, helps to explain why Scotland and Ireland have responded with such an open heart to the current crisis. Today Scotland is home to almost one third of the Syrian refugees who have been resettled in the United Kingdom. I know that Ireland, too, is playing its full part. Both countries are making the case for a co-ordinated European response. Given our own national experiences, were Scotland and Ireland to turn away from this crisis, it would be not only a failure of compassion but, perhaps, also a denial of our identities. In helping people who so desperately need our help today we are, in some sense, repaying the obligations of our past. The second point I want to make is perhaps a more straightforward one. Although we share, as countries, more than 1,000 years of history I hope and believe that relations between Scotland and Ireland now are stronger, warmer and more harmonious than they have ever been in the past. I have been immensely touched by the hospitality I have been shown since I arrived here in Dublin yesterday. I hope that the President, who I had the honour of spending some time with yesterday, felt the same warmth of welcome when he did us the honour of visiting Scotland in June.

In terms of political co-operation, Ireland has recently increased its diplomatic representation in Scotland. This year Scotland has established a new Government office in Dublin. Ireland, of course, is one of Scotland's biggest export markets. This morning I discussed how we can further strengthen and deepen those links with the business community.

As well as healthy business relationships, we also share and enjoy strong cultural ties. Indeed, the Abbey Theatre is now directed by two people who were previously based in Glasgow while a Dubliner runs the Edinburgh International Festival. These political, economic and cultural links draw great strength from and re-enforce the most important connection of all - the friendship and, indeed, kinship shared by millions of Scottish and Irish people across these islands and right around the world. I believe passionately that all of these ties will be strengthened even further to our mutual benefit in the years ahead.

Throughout the past four decades an important context for our co-operation has been our shared place in the European Union. Last year I gave a lecture at Sabhal Mór Ostaig, the Gaelic language college on the island of Skye. Former President Mary Robinson delivered the same lecture there 18 years ago. As I prepared my speech I was struck by her remarks because in her lecture she attributed the revival of traditional Irish culture in part to Ireland's membership of the European Union. She said: "The experience of interaction with other European States on a basis of equality helped our national self-confidence and heightened our awareness of the value of our distinctive contribution to European culture and civilisation."

Scotland's experiences in Europe have not been identical to Ireland's. We are not an independent member state, yet. Much of what the former President Robinson said holds very true for Scotland as well. The sense that small countries can be equals in a partnership of many is something that appeals to us about the European Union. The basic principle of EU membership that independent countries co-operate for the common good has generally seemed to us to be praiseworthy rather than problematic. Indeed, that perspective might help to explain why Scotland voted so convincingly to remain within the European Union. It is not just that we value the practical benefits that EU membership brings, although we do. It is also that for many people in Scotland, as in Ireland, being European has become a positive part of who we are and how we contribute to the world around us.

There is no doubt whatsoever that the UK-wide vote to leave the EU was deeply unwelcome. For Scotland, as for Ireland, it creates a challenge that is not of our making or choosing. Last week I had the pleasure of meeting the Taoiseach at the British-Irish Council in Cardiff and yesterday I met the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy Charles Flanagan. It was clear from both discussions that Brexit is the greatest foreign policy challenge Ireland has faced since it joined the European Union. For Scotland too, we know that how we and, indeed, how the UK as a whole respond to the vote last June will define us for generations to come. I thought it might be helpful to set out some of the principles that are guiding the Scottish Government as we confront the consequences of the EU referendum and seek to navigate the best way forward.The first is straightforward. Scotland believes that the UK as a whole should now seek continued membership of the European Single Market and the European customs union. After all, 48% of voters in the UK chose to remain in the EU, so too did two of the four nations of the UK. Many people who campaigned to leave the European Union were clear in their view that doing so need not involve leaving the Single Market. I accept there is a mandate for the UK Government to take England and Wales out of the European Union, but I do not accept that there is a mandate to take any part of the UK out of the Single Market, especially when we consider the economic consequences of such a step.

Second, to guard against the very real possibility that the UK does decide to leave not just the EU but also the Single Market, we are exploring options that would respect the vote in Scotland and allow us to retain the benefits of the Single Market, not of course instead of free trade across the United Kingdom but in addition to it. The Scottish Government will publish some proposals before the end of this year setting out our thinking in further detail. These proposals will focus on options for Scotland within the United Kingdom. Of course there is also the option of Scotland considering again the question of becoming an independent country. That option remains firmly on the table. If the path that the UK chooses to take turns out to be deeply damaging to Scotland’s best interests, to our economic, social, cultural and international interests, then the people of Scotland must have the right to choose a different future.

We understand acutely that none of what lies ahead will be easy but then nothing about Brexit is going to be easy. We are living in unprecedented times and those unprecedented times require imagination, open minds and fresh thinking.

The third point I want to make about our approach relates specifically to Ireland. The Scottish Government knows and understands how vitally important it is to maintain an open border on the island of Ireland. Regardless of what agreements may be reached elsewhere on these islands, we will support unequivocally an open border here. We fully understand that for reasons of geography, history and the simple preservation of peace, Ireland's circumstances demand close and particular attention.

The final theme I wish to address today is a more general one. It is about cohesion, social justice and solidarity. When President Higgins spoke to the Scottish Parliament in June this year he talked about the consequences of unsustainable economic models which have fomented instability and widening inequalities. In my view, Brexit is one of those consequences. There are many different causes of the UK's vote to leave the European Union and we will no doubt be analysing and debating those causes for many years to come. For a lot of people they will have included entirely legitimate concerns about the EU - it is after all an imperfect organisation - but there also seems little doubt to me that the Brexit vote was also a product of inequality, of disillusionment with the established order and of a sense of alienation and disenfranchisement. After all, if people do not believe and feel that they are benefitting from the status quo, we cannot be surprised if they choose not to vote for the status quo. Although every single region in Scotland voted to remain in the EU, as First Minister of Scotland I cannot ignore or forget the fact that even in Scotland, 1 million of our fellow citizens voted to leave.

One consequence of the referendum for us is an even sharper focus on social justice. That crystallises in the challenge, indeed the choice, that the Brexit result poses for all of us who support free trade and who value the economic, social and cultural benefits of immigration. We can choose to turn inwards or we can choose to stand strong for the principles of an open economy and a progressive, liberal democracy.I choose the latter, but in doing so, I recognise that we must not just assert the benefits of these values. We must be able to demonstrate the benefits of these values. Ireland, I think, provides an interesting example, the decisions the country took after 1958 to open its economy to the world were transformational. Ireland is wealthier, more open and more diverse society as a result. The recent years have demonstrated that all open trading nations, including Ireland and certainly Scotland, need to ensure that growth is truly sustainable, that all parts of our society have a fair chance to contribute to it and that everyone can fairly share the benefits of it.

There should be no contradiction whatsoever between being an open, dynamic and competitive economy and a fair, inclusive and welcoming society. In fact what we are seeing around the world today demonstrates that the two must go together. A fair society is essential if we are to sustain support for an open economy. That is the reason that the Scottish economic strategy prioritises fairness together with economic competitiveness. It is also why Scotland like Ireland was an early supporter of the United Nations sustainable development goals. We believe the goals provide a framework for all countries to follow. They encourage us to exemplify fair and sustainable development at home while also promoting it overseas. As we do this, there are many areas where Scotland and Ireland can work with and learn from each other.

I had talks yesterday that touched on how our governments and our businesses are co-operating to promote renewable energy and tackle climate change. In Scotland, the ban on smoking in public places in terms of social policy was heavily influenced by Ireland's example. That policy is already improving the health of our people. I know that Ireland is considering Scotland's legislation on minimum unit pricing of alcohol and I wish Members well as they do so. Both our nations have also travelling a long way in recent years on issues such as equal marriage. It was legalised in Scotland at the end of 2014, while Ireland to its great credit became the first State to enshrine that right in its Constitution.

I know that President Higgins has called recently for small countries to work together on conflict resolution and sustainable development. I welcome warmly that call and I believe that Scotland and Ireland as individual nations, but also as partners, are well placed to play our part. In terms of overseas development co-operation, Scotland is committed to learning from the example of other small countries, including Ireland. Indeed in 2012, it was partly the influence of Mary Robinson that led Scotland to become the first country in the world to establish a climate justice fund, a fund that recognises and seeks to address the fact that the people affected most by climate change across our planet are those who have done the least to cause climate change. It is further evidence of Scotland's determination to show leadership on climate change, the biggest environmental, economic and moral issue currently facing our planet. It demonstrates our desire to lead by example at home and exert a positive influence overseas. In all of this and in so much more, Scotland and Ireland are living examples of the positive impact that small, open, outward looking countries can have on the world around us. The need to safeguard and enhance our reputations as open, outward looking countries is perhaps greater now than it has been for many decades. I hope very much that we can and will support each other as we seek to do so.

I began this speech today by referring to the Book of Kells. The first line of the very first page of the book is widely believed to have been from St. Jerome, setting out his intention to make a new work from the old. There is an echo of that sentiment in the quotation I wish to close with. In 2004 Ireland's Presidency of the European Union coincided with the accession of ten new member states. The occasion, as I am sure many will vividly remember was marked on May Day in the Phoenix Park. The ceremony included a poem by the great Seamus Heaney.The closing verses of that poem speak to optimism, the humanity and the basic kindness that all good societies need to flourish and succeed. They also encapsulate the tolerance, internationalism and open-mindedness that I believe must always define who we are, no matter the headwinds and the challenges we might currently face:

So on a day when newcomers appear

Let it be a homecoming and let us speak

The unstrange word, as it behoves us here,

Move lips, move minds and make new meanings flare

Like ancient beacons signalling, peak to peak,

From middle sea to north sea, shining clear

It is my hope that Scotland and Ireland, sharing as we do an open heart for newcomers and a faith in dialogue's power to move minds, will work even more closely together in the years ahead. I hope we will make new works, new meanings and new impacts from our ancient ties and our shared values. If we do so then we can and will ensure that our small nations send a big and very powerful signal to others across the world. We can help to deliver real and tangible benefits throughout these islands, across our continent and right around the world. Thank you so much for the honour of addressing you today.