Queen’s address at Dublin Castle to be a tour highlight

A KEYNOTE address by Queen Elizabeth at Dublin Castle this evening promises to be one of the highlights of her four-day visit to Ireland.

It is the only speaking engagement by the queen during her historic first visit. It is expected the queen will address the historic and symbolic nature of her visit and the theme of reconciliation.

However, it is believed that the queen will largely avoid any overtly political commentary and, instead, concentrate on other aspects of the relationship between Ireland and Britain.

The second day of Queen Elizabeth’s state visit will begin this morning when the royal party travels to the Guinness Storehouse in the Liberties. The queen, accompanied by her husband, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, will visit the building’s Gravity Bar with its panoramic 360-degree views of Dublin.

The capital’s many landmarks will be described to the royal couple by broadcaster Ryan Tubridy at a function which will be attended by representatives of Dublin city.

They will also be introduced to a Guinness master brewer who will give a demonstration of pouring the “perfect pint,” although it is unclear if either the queen or the prince will be asked to sample the famous stout at such an early hour.

Queen Elizabeth will then go across the city to Government Buildings where she will be greeted by Taoiseach Enda Kenny and his wife, Fionnuala, as well as the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Eamon Gilmore and the Attorney General, Máire Whelan.

After lunch, the queen will visit the Irish National War Memorial Garden in Islandbridge where both she and the President, Mary McAleese, will lay a wreath in honour of the 49,400 Irish men who died fighting during World War I.

From there, the queen will travel to the GAA’s headquarters at Croke Park — the location of the infamous Bloody Sunday shootings in 1920 when 14 people were killed after British soldiers opened fire on spectators and players. The royal couple will be given a tour of the 82,300-seater stadium in which the organisation’s history will be explained by GAA president, Christy Cooney, before being shown a short video presentation of GAA games. The guests will also be brought to the dressing rooms and the pitch.

Finally, Queen Elizabeth will attend an official state dinner with 160 guests, including President McAleese, Taoiseach Enda Kenny and British Prime Minister David Cameron.