Queen's Ireland visit 'shows peace process has succeeded'

Published on Sunday 15 May 2011 17:50

THE Queen's visit to the Republic of Ireland will represent an extraordinary moment in the history of the island, Irish president Mary McAleese has said.

Mrs McAleese insisted it was the right moment for the ground-breaking event - the first visit by a British sovereign to the Republic. The Queen's grandfather, George V, visited the country 100 years ago, when it was still under British rule.

The president said the four-day visit had been made possible by the success of the peace process.

"I think it is an extraordinary moment in Irish history," she said. "A phenomenal sign and signal of the success of the peace process and absolutely the right moment for us to welcome on to Irish soil Her Majesty the Queen, the head of state of our immediate next-door neighbours, the people with whom we are forging a new future, on very different terms from the past and I think that visit will send the message that we are, both jurisdictions, determined to make the future a much, much better place."

The Queen arrives in Dublin tomorrow, for a visit that will take in counties Cork, Kildare and Tipperary.

The royal trip will take in a tour of several historically significant sites in Dublin, including Croke Park, the scene of a massacre by British troops, and the Garden of Remembrance, which honours all those who fought for Irish freedom.

The visit will also include events at Trinity College, the National War Memorial Gardens in Islandbridge, and the Guinness Storehouse.

Cork and Cashel are on the agenda, along with a private visit to Coolmore - the world-renowned international thoroughbred racehorse stud in Tipperary.

The largest security operation in the history of the state is being mounted, amid fears that dissident republicans will seek to disrupt the visit.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny said government and police were conscious of security threats, but maintained the Queen would receive a warm welcome from the vast majority of Irish people.

He described her visit as the start of a new era between the two countries, based on respect, friendship and mutual recognition.

"The visit of the Queen is symbolically a healing of the past and facing with courage to the future," Mr Kenny said.

Protesters - led by socialist republican group Eirigi - are already attempting to set up an Irish Freedom Camp on Parnell Square close to the Garden of Remembrance.

The Queen is due to attend a wreath-laying ceremony there tomorrow afternoon.

The Queen's arrival has also sparked controversy because it coincides with the 37th anniversary of the Dublin and Monaghan bombings, which killed 34 people. Victim groups believe the bomb attacks were carried out by loyalist paramilitaries with British state collusion.