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The Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Charlie Flanagan TD, has commended the Northern Ireland football team for their fantastic achievement of having qualified for the knockout stages of Euro 2016, and commiserated them for their defeat to Wales today.

He said:

“I know all the people of this island have taken a great interest in the heroic feats of Michael O’Neill and his Northern Ireland squad. Their courage, skill and resilience, against some of the best footballers on the planet, have brought them great credit.

“The Northern Ireland fans, too, have been a welcome addition to the European championship scene, and it is a particular source of satisfaction for me to have seen both teams from the island of Ireland competing together on the international stage.

"All the peoples of Ireland, North and South, can be justifiably proud of the way their teams, management and supporters have carried themselves in this tournament, and there is hopefully more of that to come in the immediate future.”

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