A long life given over to duty - Queen Elizabeth at 90

In 1916, Irish monarchists — there were far more of them than the pageantry around centenary celebrations recognises — might have felt comfortable marking a significant milestone for a British king or queen.

That enthusiasm, or at least its public expression, was muted during the intervening century. Our nationalism was monocultural. The wounds incurred in achieving independence were too raw. Minds were closed. Babies were thrown out with the bathwater. Burn everything British, except their coal, was the catchcry.