It is a great pleasure to welcome Tony Blair to Dublin Castle this evening where we honour him, his achievements and his huge personal commitment to the cause of peace in Northern Ireland.
It is particularly appropriate that we do this as we mark the tenth anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement.
The conclusion of the Agreement was undoubtedly a watershed in the history of this island.
It heralded a new era in relations North and South and between Ireland and Britain.
On November 26, 1998, Tony made history by becoming the first British Prime Minister ever to address a joint sitting of both Houses of the Oireachtas - an acknowledgement of his role in securing the Good Friday Agreement and a measure of the esteem that he was and is held in by the Irish people.
In his speech that day, he spoke of his own close family connections to Ireland and his regular visits to Donegal as a child.
He also referred to Ireland's relationship with Britain
"So much shared history, so much shared pain.
And now the shared hope of a new beginning."
As so often with Tony, he got it absolutely right.
The connections between Ireland and Britain are intensely personal. We share so much socially and culturally and so many Irish people, our relatives, our friends, made their homes there in good times and in bad.
And we have a shared history that has often been painful and difficult.
But while it has taken some time, the Good Friday Agreement has allowed us to make that new beginning.
It put in place a comprehensive framework that has enabled us to do so much.
To recognise that all of the people of this island have a right to their identity as British, Irish or both; to build new political institutions that recognised that reality and which could have the support of everyone in Northern Ireland; to build a new police service that has the support of all communities; to build new relationships between Unionism and Nationalism on the island of Ireland; to build new relationships between the people of these islands; and to build a stable and lasting peace in Northern Ireland.
When I first met Tony after taking office, I was greatly encouraged that we had a shared view that we could make this work.
He brought all of his many qualities - his commitment, his tenacity, his intellect and his considerable powers of persuasion - to the process.
Of course, we were fortunate to build on foundations laid by our predecessors over many years including the work of John Major and Albert Reynolds, which helped bring about the IRA ceasefire in 1994.
We were greatly assisted by the able Chairmanship of Senator George Mitchell and the support of President Bill Clinton.
We had strong leaders - John Hume, David Trimble, Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness - who all took risks for peace.
In later years, Dr Ian Paisley, Peter Robinson and others in the DUP have shown equal vision and leadership that is part of the hugely positive situation we all enjoy today.
Working with Tony, I always knew that we were working in partnership.
While we may have represented different interests and perspectives, ultimately we both shared the same objective - a durable, sustainable peace.
Today, we can take great pride in the fact that there is now a fully functioning Executive delivering good governance for the people of Northern Ireland; a fully functioning North South Ministerial Council that is delivering an unprecedented level of North South cooperation and significant North South projects; and a fully functioning British Irish Council providing a forum for both Governments and all of the devolved Administrations on these islands to work together on a range of issues of common interest.
With the restoration of the Northern Executive and Assembly last May and all of the Institutions operating as was envisaged under the Good Friday Agreement, real progress is being made.
Of course, further challenges lie ahead.
The devolution of policing and justice and continuing to tackle sectarianism are two particular priorities.
It has been a singular honour for me to have worked side by side with Tony Blair on an age old difficulty that for so long caused so much division.
But I believe we can now face the future with considerable optimism that we have built a solid foundation for peace and prosperity on this island.
Before I conclude, I would like to thank Turn the Tide of Suicide (the 3T's) for organising this evening's event and providing the opportunity to formally acknowledge Tony Blair for all that he has done for this island.
As a charity, The 3T's do much important work to raise awareness and funding to lower the suicide rates in Ireland through research, educational support and intervention.
Suicide respects no boundary, neither of geography nor of social class.
It brings pain and loss to families across the island.
We have an All Island Action Plan on suicide prevention. Work is well underway in implementing its provisions in the confidence that we can reap benefits through North-South collaboration.
Reducing suicide rates requires a collective effort.
It is important that we learn from the developing good practice so that we do everything we can to identify and support those who are vulnerable.
I commend you for all your good work and I wish you every success in your endeavours.
ENDS