Dublin, Ireland.- President Miguel Diaz-Canel highlighted on Sunday during a tour of several emblematic places of this capital, the patriotic and independence ties that unite Cuba and Ireland.

Thanks to you today we understand better the spirit of independence and the Irish patriotic sense that unite us as peoples, and as islands that share the same sea of struggles, hopes and future, wrote the Cuban leader in the Trinity College visitors book.

Upon his arrival at the prestigious Irish university, Diaz-Canel was received by the rector of that institution founded in 1592, Patrick Prendergast, who along with other members of the faculty gave him a detailed explanation of all the treasures kept by his well-stocked public library.

Among the six million volumes stored in the ancient building is the ‘Book of Kells,’ a manuscript written in Latin and illustrated by Celtic monks in the year 800, which contains the four Gospels of the New Testament.

The Celtic harp of King Brian Boru, heraldic symbol of Ireland, also occupies a prominent place in the collection, along with a copy of the Declaration of Independence issued in 1916.

Before arriving at Trinity College, the Cuban president walked through St. Stephen Green, a public park that dates back to 1664 and constitutes the main green lung of this peaceful city without skyscrapers, but with abundant buildings in Georgian and Victorian styles.

As he passed through the streets of Dublin, Diaz-Cancel stopped to talk with several children, while one of the many passers-by who passed through the area greeted him with a ‘Viva Cuba’.

Then at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, patron saint of the Irish, he spoke with the dean of that church, Reverend William Morton, who also invited him to sign the visitors’ book.

In his own handwriting, Diaz-Canel reiterated to the hosts his gratitude for the welcome given to the first Cuban president to visit this European country officially, and exalted the ties that bind both countries.

Our peoples are distinguished by their patriotism and longing for independence, wrote the head of state, who tomorrow will be received by his local counterpart, Michael Higgins, and will also meet Prime Minister Leo Varadkar.

In a message he posted on Twitter upon his arrival in Dublin along with Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez and other officials, Diaz-Canel assured that his visit, which follows a similar one Higgins made to Cuba in 2017, will contribute to strengthening and broadening the bilateral relations begun 20 years ago.