BRITAIN:The Taoiseach congratulated the incoming British prime minister in a 10-minute phone conversation yesterday. Mr Brown called Mr Ahern at 3.45pm, shortly after his visit to Buckingham Palace.
"I have conveyed my very best wishes to Gordon Brown as he assumes office as prime minister," Mr Ahern said in a statement. The prime minister was "a politician of exceptional experience and ability" who would discharge his new office "with distinction".
Mr Ahern added: "In this new era in British-Irish relations, we have much to look forward to in developing our relationship in all its many dimensions. Of particular importance, of course, is to build on the precious foundation of peace in Northern Ireland. We agreed that our two governments will continue to work closely together in the future."
President Mary McAleese thanked Mr Blair for the "extraordinary commitment" he had shown to the Northern Ireland peace process over the course of his premiership and wished him well in his future endeavours.
"The Northern Ireland that you leave, 10 years on, is a remarkably more optimistic and vibrant place than the one which existed when you embarked upon your work in 1997," she said.
"The restoration of the devolved institutions on 8th May was a very visible manifestation of the importance that you and the Taoiseach have attached to the task in hand over the lifetimes of your stewardships."
"As you leave, you take with you the gratitude of the people of Ireland for the ground-breaking work you have performed here during your period as prime minister."
In the North, First Minister the Rev Ian Paisley paid generous tribute to Mr Blair during his final question time in the House of Commons. Dr Paisley said that in his final period as British prime minister there were many issues on which they disagreed, but that they faced them. And while there were times when Mr Blair was downcast, disappointed, angry and had even lost his temper, the prime minister treated him with "the greatest of courtesy".
The DUP leader said that the unionist people in the North wanted to see the progress made to date brought to a successful conclusion. And referring to Mr Blair's new role in the Middle East, Dr Paisley said, "The prime minister has entered into another colossal task. I hope that what happened in Northern Ireland will be repeated and . . . he will be able to look back and say it was well worthwhile."
Mr Blair thanked Dr Paisley for his comments, joking that he was waiting for a qualifying "but" that never came. "Although this will do neither of us good in many quarters, I have to say I actually found you not merely a very good person to work with but someone who was completely straight with me all the way through my dealings with you," he said.
Sinn Féin's Deputy First Minister, Martin McGuinness, acknowledged Mr Blair's "very positive contribution" to the peace process and the "building of new relationships in Ireland and between Ireland and Britain".
"However, this is all part of a process and we will continue to work constructively with Gordon Brown to make further progress on the peace dividend, the truth around collusion and Irish reunification," he said.
SDLP leader Mark Durkan said there was "warm goodwill and gratitude to Tony Blair from people throughout Ireland for his huge contribution to transforming the political landscape in Northern Ireland and these islands".
Alliance leader David Ford said people in Northern Ireland appreciated the "massive amount of energy that Mr Blair put into the search for a settlement".