Visit of Queen Elizabeth II would be inappropriate and unwelcome

ON Sunday, August 17, in the company of the Mayor of Kilkenny at Rothe House in one of his final official engagements in this State, the British ambassador to Ireland Mr David Reddaway raised the political temperature somewhat by referring to the ‘imminent’ visit to the Republic of Ireland by Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II.

Such a visit has been spoken of favourably in recent times by President McAleese and former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, who have both publicly suggested that the time is now right for such a visit. The interjection by the British ambassador on this most sensitive issue at this time is most unhelpful and regrettable. Mr Reddaway expressed the view that it is his hope that the British monarch will visit this State “before too long”.

If an official State visit to the Republic by Queen Elizabeth does take place, it will be the first such visit by a reigning British monarch since Irish independence in 1922. This is highly significant. A royal visit would no doubt be portrayed as part of a normalisation process between two friendly neighbouring states and as benefiting the peace process by reassuring unionism both north and south. In fact, that is precisely what this suggested visit is intended to portray. However, Anglo Irish relations are not and never have been ‘normal’.