President Michael D. Higgins congratulates Donald Trump on US Election win

President Michael D. Higgins has extended his congratulations to Donald Trump after his victory in the US election earlier this week.

In a statement by the President, he says: "Ireland has a long and deep connection with the United States and its people.

"I have conveyed my best wishes to President Elect Donald Trump, wishing him and the American people every good fortune for his term in office."

In the letter written to President-elect Trump, President Higgins emphasised the "valued relationship" between the US and Ireland, saying: "We will continue to build our relationship on the solid and mutually beneficial ground that our people have nurtured for the last hundred years."

READ NEXT: Risk of 'transatlantic trade shock' increased due to election of Trump says Taoiseach

He went on to say that the US has a significant connection to Ireland with the role the country played in securing peace in Northern Ireland.

President Higgins wrote: "These valued relationships are manifested both in the breadth and depth of our connections on so many levels, as well as in our extensive economic and cultural partnerships.

"In the political sphere, the enduring, bipartisan commitment of the United States to peace on the island of Ireland played a key role in delivering the Good Friday Agreement."

He did, however, highlight some "global concerns" that needed to addressed such as climate change, food insecurity and international conflict, saying: "I believe that achieving peace, ending global hunger, and having an effective multilateralism are al central challenges of our time, the solutions for which are so vital now and to which Ireland is committed."

This follows Taoiseach Simon Harris' expression of congratulations to Trump earlier in the week.