Taoiseach Enda Kenny will leave Dublin after an early- morning Cabinet meeting today and fly to Brussels for a crisis meeting of European Union leaders to discuss the British referendum result.

British prime minister David Cameron will address his European colleagues at dinner this evening but will not attend the second day of the summit tomorrow when the leaders will attempt to chart a way forward for the union as Britain prepares to break the 40-year connection with the EU.

Sources say the Taoiseach will have two priorities in the talks over the coming days.

The first will be to urge caution and cool heads. Irish sources were scathing, if understanding, of some of the harsher words emanating from some European leaders in recent days.

Mr Kenny and Irish officials will tell their colleagues there is nothing to be gained from venting their anger at the British.

Irish interests

It would be wise, said one source, to bring the temperature down by a few degrees.

The second priority for the Taoiseach will be to assert Irish interests strongly in the process to come. Mr Kenny is likely to insist Ireland’s special relationship with the UK requires Irish interests to be considered during the EU-UK talks. Irish and British officials have been in contact on these issues for some time.

It is not clear what the UK will seek when it comes to the negotiations to be commenced after the next prime minister formally triggers the exit mechanism. But comments by leading Brexiters, including the favourite to become the next prime minister, Boris Johnson, suggest the UK would seek to maintain access to the single market.

There would be significant resistance to this idea in the EU, which is seen in some quarters as offering the UK the benefits of EU membership without any of the obligations.

However, an agreement for external association for the UK would solve many problems for Ireland, including difficulties in relation to the Border.

Government sources said Ireland was likely to back this sort of an arrangement if the new administration in London sought it, and Ireland would resist attempts to take it off the table.

Yesterday the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, hosted talks with France's president, François Hollande, and Italy's prime minister, Matteo Renzi, in Berlin to discuss the UK decision. A statement afterwards said the EU would not hold informal talks with the UK until it triggered the exit mechanism.

The Government's strongly held position is that these are decisions to be taken by the European Council, comprising all the leaders of the member states.

Today’s summit is unlikely to be decisive on any of these issues.