A once-unthinkable moment of history

The historic handshake between the British Queen and Sinn Féin’s Martin McGuinness, together with his words of blessing as they said goodbye, have been hailed as a watershed moment for Irish-Britishrelations.

The encounter between the former IRA commander — now Northern Ireland’s deputy first minister — and Queen Elizabeth II was unthinkable a little over 10 years ago.

However, the success of the peace process and the Queen’s acclaimed visit to the Republic last year paved the way for their meeting.