Many things struck me on my recent visit to Dublin, my first for almost 40 years. The welter of economic activity, and the price that has exacted from civic comfort in the shape of some daunting traffic congestion; the smoothness of the Irish Government machine and the liveliness of the political dialogue; the love of words that has so graced our shared language and that remains prominent in much of the daily discourse of Dubliners; and, perhaps most of all, the confidence with which it combines its role as one of modern Europe's capitals with a keen sense of history.

Of course, I do not wish to make the same mistake as those who come to Edinburgh, look at the splendour of the New Town and declare that the city, attractive though it is, has none of the problems that beset most inner cities. Dublin does not have its troubles to seek, any more than Aberdeen, Glasgow or, indeed, Edinburgh. Social exclusion, drugs, housing, transport; the same items crop up on politicians' agendas on either side of the Irish Sea.

I was privileged to spend some time discussing these issues of common concern with the Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern. Each of us found that many of the challenges facing the other were entirely familiar.

But that is not surprising, when one considers not only the closely interwoven historical relationship between Ireland and Scotland but also the simple fact that the problems of the modern world do not respect political boundaries. Those who traffic in dangerous drugs do so through networks that extend throughout these islands, regardless of administrative boundaries. Indeed, any boundaries in enforcement and detection can be a source of opportunity for them and I am pleased that Angus Mackay, our Deputy Minister for Justice, has visited Ireland to see what we can learn from the Irish experience.

Pollution, whether of sea or air, cannot be constrained by lines on maps. And the Internet makes fools of all those who try to pull up a drawbridge on information flows. So while it was a rare treat for me, as it would be for any politician, to share a discussion with someone as engaging as Bertie Ahern, the fact that we found plenty to talk about should come as no surprise.

He recognised, as I do, that devolution moves the relationship between Scotland and Ireland to a new footing. Constitutional change in the United Kingdom is bound to be of interest to our closest neighbour but I think there is more to this than interested observation on the part of our Irish colleagues. They have appointed a senior member of the Department of Foreign Affairs, Dan Mulhall, to be the Irish Consul-General in Edinburgh.

We are seeing new levels of engagement between the Irish Government and the Scottish administration. Why? The Good Friday (Belfast) Agreement provides part - but only part - of the answer.

That agreement provides for the creation of the British-Irish Council, a new body of which both Ireland and Scotland will be members. So there are changes to the political framework in the air. But the changes we are now seeing in the relationship between Scotland and Ireland are overdue and they have been facilitated by devolution.

Devolution gives Scotland a new democratic focus. That brings many advantages to Scots but it also brings advantages to those that seek to relate to us or otherwise to deal with us. It makes us more identifiable and more accessible as a political and administrative unit. That is apparent from the wide range of contacts we have developed with other parts of Europe since July 1st. But Ireland is unique among them because of our shared history and our shared culture.

INDEED, we are related by blood. In the 19th century, as Brenda Collins put it, "growing up in Ireland meant preparing to leave it". Immigration from Ireland changed the face of Scotland's central belt and made an indelible impression on the culture of the nation as a whole. But I saw in a recent article in this newspaper that immigration to Ireland had in 1997 exceeded emigration for the first time since the 1970s. That is an excellent illustration of how far Ireland has travelled in the last 30 years.

Its economic success has been hugely impressive and is a magnet for talent. And it goes without saying that we have a shared interest in political developments in Northern Ireland.

We are competitors too. For inward investment, for trading opportunities. However, our trade links are strong. Ireland's exports are increasing steadily and Scottish companies are working hard to promote their goods in Ireland. An excellent example of this is the recent visit to Dublin by Scottish Trade International, which generated a number of potential business opportunities. Its success can be measured by the fact that two more visits are planned next year.

We are both on the periphery of the EU, both anxious to ensure we make the most of the single market, that marvellous commercial construction that should allow our businessmen and our manufacturers to compete on equal terms with the rest of Europe, throughout Europe.

So our relationship is on many levels and of many colours.

President McAleese will visit the Institute of Scottish and Irish Studies at the University of Aberdeen. I, in my turn, visited its counterpart at University College, Dublin. Both institutes are relatively recent arrivals on the academic scene and they illustrate the way in which the relationship between Scotland and Ireland is evolving from something we have perhaps taken for granted to something we can analyse, work on and thereby enrich further.

Most importantly, we can learn from each other. Good ideas are in short supply and where we have so much in common we should share what we can.

And it all seems quite natural in the current political context of a devolved Scotland in Europe. The really curious thing is that it has not happened to the same extent before.

But as Seamus Heaney, one of the world's finest poets who also happens to be Irish, said, it is "strange how things in the offing, once they're sensed, convert to things foreknown". I make no claim to have foreseen these changes in the relationship between Scotland and Ireland. But I welcome them warmly and I look forward to seeing them further advanced by the President McAleese's visit.