Northern Ireland's First Minister, Reverend Ian Paisley, and Taoiseach Bertie Ahern were guests of honour at a function in Dublin tonight.
Earlier today, members of the Government and members of the Northern Ireland executive met at Dundalk Institute of Technology.
On his way in to the discussions the Deputy First Minister, Martin McGuinness, described dissident republicans who are prepared to use violence, as 'no-hopers who are going nowhere and who are detatched from the reality of life on the island of Ireland at this time'.
Mr McGuinness said dissident groups seem to want the return of huge numbers of British Army troops to the streets of Northern Ireland.
The Taoiseach said there is some information on the threat posed by dissident groups and it has to be taken seriously.
But Mr Ahern said the two administrations could not allow themselves to be distracted from the kind of progressive work that is going on at today's north-south discussions.
Northern Ireland's First Minister, Ian Paisley, appealed to all decent people in both parts of the island to reject any effort to go back to what he called 'the bad old ways'.
The focus of today's talks was on ongoing cooperation across a whole range of areas.
It is the first such gathering to be held in the Republic outside of Dublin.
