Queen Elizabeth II visits Ireland

On May 17 Queen Elizabeth II of England made history by being the first royal monarch to visit the Republic of Ireland since it declared independence from Great Britain. Queen Elizabeth II was invited for an official visit by Irish president Mary McAleese, well known for working to restore peaceful relationships between Ireland and Northern Ireland. Although the Queen's visit was accepted by the majority of the population, her timing did spark some public outcry. May 17 marks the anniversary of the Dublin and Monaghan bombings of 1974 which killed 33 civilians and wounded nearly 300. Because the British are widely considered to have been involved in the car bombings, many Irish citizens feel that the Queen's decision to visit on this day was particularly insensitive. However, President McAleese defended the Queen, telling RTE news reporters that her visit came at "absolutely the right moment."

The Queen's decision to speak at Croke Park also sparked some public outcry. The stadium, currently home to the Galic Athletic Association headquarters, is also the site of the 1920 massacre known as Bloody Sunday.  On November 21, during a Dublin vs. Tipperary Gaelic football match, the Crown forces, supported by the Auxiliaries, entered the stadium during play and shot into the crowd, ultimately killing 13 spectators and Tipperary's captain, Michael Hogan.  Some of my Irish classmates expected the Queen to apologize for the bloodshed that took place at Croke Park while others simply felt it was distasteful to visit the site.

Although from an outsider's perspective I generally feel that the Queen's visit to Dublin was a positive step toward fostering relations between Ireland and Great Britain, I do understand that not all Irish citizens feel ready to move on.  While we saw several peaceful protests, the most affective (in my opinion) was a group that had one black balloon for each Irish citizen killed as a result of the struggle for Irish Independence.  These protestors gathered outside our apartment and as the Queen was laying a wreath at the Garden of Remembrance, they let the balloons float up into the sky.  It was a very powerful image and one that people all over Dublin could see.

I've included links to photos from Queen Elizabeth II's visit to give a visual account of both the Queen's activities and the protests that took place.  Photo 3 and 5 from the first link were taken in our neighborhood, just to give you a perspective of how tight security was where we live (the Queen drove past our window several times during her stay).

http://www.rte.ie/news/2011/0517/queenvisitdayone_gallery.html
http://www.rte.ie/news/2011/0518/queenelizabethday2_gallery.html

I have also included a video of both President Mary McAleese and Queen Elizabeth II's speeches at the Irish State Banquet held at Dublin Castle.  Both spoke of their desire for peace and their hopes for closer ties in the future.




"Though the seas between us have often been stormy, we have chosen to build a solid and enduring bridge of friendship between us and to cross it to a new, a happier future."  - President Mary McAleese

Photos from http://www.rte.ie