Simon Coveney met with David Davis, the UK’s lead negotiator on Brexit in London last month as part of a series of meetings focused on Brexit and Northern Ireland. It was reported that during the discussion, Mr Coveney told Mr Davis about the challenges for Ireland in the Brexit process and the critical importance of protecting the peace process and citizen’s rights.

Mr Davis agreed to visit the border region in Ireland to hear about the concerns of people living and working there.

Speaking after the meeting, Mr Coveney said: “Our discussion was friendly but also frank and blunt; I left him with no illusion about the challenges around Irish specific issues on Brexit. I emphasised that protecting the gains of the peace process and the Good Friday Agreement in all of its parts was of fundamental importance.”