Queen’s visit - A real Irish welcome for monarch

It is just three months shy of the 190th anniversary of the visit of George IV, who was the first British monarch to come to this country without an accompanying army. Queen Elizabeth II will arrive today, accompanied by an army of media.

President Mary McAleese has described today’s visit as “an extraordinary moment in Irish history, a phenomenal sign and signal of the success of the peace process”. The sad fact is that it is indeed an extraordinary moment, and that is why the visit has attracted so much media attention. It is the first visit by a reigning British monarch since we achieved independence.

The queen officially begins her visit by going to Phoenix Park to call on President McAleese at Áras an Uachtaráin, which was the Vice Regal Lodge for over a century.