The departing British ambassador to Ireland, Dame Veronica Sutherland, thanked the Government and people of Ireland for the help and co-operation she and her husband, Alex, had received during her time here.
"We are leaving with warm memories and many good friends and we will continue to follow events in Ireland with a keen interest and in the hope that a lasting peace will soon be achieved," she said.
The ambassador's final official engagement was to attend a pantomime organised by St Anne's Primary School, Shankill, Co Dublin, on Saturday.
The village is twinned with the Shankill Road in Belfast. Members of the Belfast side of the twinning project attended the event and made a presentation to Dame Veronica at the interval.