Reflections on Queen Elizabeth II's historic trip to the Republic of Ireland in 2011

  • Republic of Ireland
  • Friday 9 September 2022 at 8:50am

credit = PA images

In 2011, Queen Elizabeth II made an historic visit to the Republic of Ireland. It's widely remembered as a cordial affair - making history both as the first British monarch to visit the Republic of Ireland in 100 years, and the first since the nation gained independent from Britain.

It what was one of the most significant moments of her 70-year-reign, a series of cultural events and symbolic gestures set the pace for closer Anglo-Irish relations, while surpassing expectations with the candour with which the Queen spoke during a speech at Dublin Castle.

Following the announcement of her death, Irish President Michael D Higgins said the Queen "did not shy away from the shadows of the past" during her visit, and that her "moving words and gestures of respect were deeply appreciated and admired by the people of Ireland".

Taoiseach, Micheál Martin, said her 2011 state visit "marked a crucial step in the normalisation of relations with our nearest neighbour".

During the four-day visit, the Queen won praise after she laid a wreath and bowed her head in Dublin's Garden of Remembrance to pay tribute to the rebels who rose up against British rule in 1916; and for speaking Irish in an address to a state banquet at Dublin Castle.

"A Uachtarain agus a chairde," her address began, the Irish for 'president and friends'.

The then Irish President, Mary McAleese, who was seated beside the Queen during the event exclaimed a "wow", and the audience erupted into applause.

The Queen continued: "To all those who have suffered as a consequence of our troubled past, I extend my sincere thoughts and deep sympathy.

"With the benefit of historical hindsight we can all see things which we would wish had been done differently, or not at all."

Feargal Purcell, a former government press adviser who served Enda Kenny, said "a huge amount of history got condensed into that moment".

"I remember hearing Mary McAleese when the Queen started speaking Irish," he added.

"You could hear her amazement. She exclaimed and you could hear it. Not because she said it loudly, because she whispered it, but there wasn't a sound to be heard in the room beyond what the Queen was saying.

"I think that froze everybody. There was a bit of a time slowed down a little bit, in that moment, and what got condensed into that was a lot of hurt, and a lot of healing.

"It almost happened in real time: the healing and hearing that happened in that moment in that speech, a huge amount of history got condensed into that moment.

"It went from being a nervous situation to being a kind of mutual respect, and moved into joy" all over the course of the four-day visit, he said.

"He added that the McAleeses were important in laying the foundation in the years before the visit, and that the maturing of the East-West relationship was fast-tracked under Mrs McAleese's presidency.

Mr Kenny's government had just come into power after winning an election three months earlier, but the significance of the Queen's upcoming visit "was not lost on anybody", Mr Purcell said.

"The focus was on getting it right. It was seen for the opportunity that it turned out to be."

When asked whether the visit exceeded expectations from that moment in Dublin Castle, he said: "It did."

"It was a very fraught economic time for Ireland, and (the visit) seemed to be a place for everyone to go.

"It seemed as if there was this nervousness initially," he said. "There was a concern. And such was the public reaction that that seemed to almost evaporate.

"The security operation was significant, but it seemed to just calm and the story around the visit is that everyone settled into it, and that it became a hugely positive experience for everybody.

"Partly, initially relief, I think, and then it gained momentum. But I think that was down to the Queen mostly, and that moment.

"Because it was almost as if that moment gave licence to us all to move on. Every party has to move on for the shared history, but that line in that speech seemed to be a gateway into a more equal and mature relationship."

Of the Queen's bow at the Garden of Remembrance, Mr Purcell remarked: "It's amazing. All the words in the world, all the diplomacy in the world is really important.

"On reflection, what's recurring to me is the power of the personal gesture: unbelievable power in the words spoken at Dublin Castle, and in that bow.

"The bow seemed to me to be the action that backed up the words in Dublin Castle. It was the action, so if you look at the words, and you look at the memorial, the bow, you could tie one to the other.

"So it seemed to me that the Queen was determined that the visit was going to have an outcome."

Photographer Ray McManus photographed the Queen as she was escorted around the grounds of the Croke Park stadium in Dublin by Mrs McAleese and the then president of the GAA, Christy Cooney.

British forces shot dead 14 spectators at a Gaelic football match held in the stadium in 1920.

"She was very pleasant," he said, adding that the tour of the stadium was "very cordial, very relaxed".

"It was very ordinary, down-to-earth, there was no airs or graces about it.

"She didn't say a whole lot, which I think is her way. I remember taking a particular shot where she smiled profusely under the GAA logo with 1884 on it," he said, describing a golden GAA crest in the shape of a Celtic cross on a blue background.

"She just happened to stand between me and the GAA crest. I didn't particularly move or she didn't particularly move... But she just happened to stand there under the crest. And the gold of the crest and the golden colour, the yellow she had on at the time, just all matched in."

Queen Elizabeth remembered in Ireland for historic reconciliation

Expressions of sympathy in Ireland demonstrate how Queen Elizabeth II achieved healing in the fraught history of Ireland and Britain.

Britain's Queen Elizabeth, (left). walks with Ireland's President Mary McAleese, (right), after a wreath laying ceremony at the Irish War Memorial Garden in Dublin in 2011 [File: Maxwell's/Pool/Reuters]

Queen Elizabeth II reigned for more than 70 years and for 30 years during that time a vicious conflict was fought in the part of her United Kingdom known as Northern Ireland.

About 3,600 people were killed and more than 30,000 wounded from 1969 until the signing of an agreement in 1998, which largely brought peace between those fighting against British rule in the northern province of Ireland, and those battling to preserve and defend the union with Britain.

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The fighting, euphemistically known as “the Troubles”, was brutal, bitter, and sectarian.

British troops, the Northern Irish security services, Irish Republican Army (IRA) fighters, and pro-British Loyalist armed groups bombed and shot, killed and maimed, as they turned city streets and rural towns into guerrilla-war battlefields.

For generations of Irish nationalists and republicans, the British Crown and its forces were an enemy responsible for the degradation of centuries of colonial rule in Ireland.

Yet, on Thursday, two Irish soldiers lowered Ireland’s tricolour flag to half-staff at a government building in Dublin to mark the queen’s death . Irish embassies around the world also followed suit and lowered the republic’s flag as a mark of respect.

The Irish flag has been lowered to half mast at Government Buildings this evening to mark the death of HM Queen Elizabeth. Statement from Taoiseach @MichealMartinTD ➡️ https://t.co/luw9aLl0sl pic.twitter.com/kvs7Ki9zwv — MerrionStreet.ie (@merrionstreet) September 8, 2022
The flag at the Embassy has been lowered to half staff to mark the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. pic.twitter.com/HDm959iFSL — Embassy of Ireland Cairo (@IRLEmbCairo) September 9, 2022

Ireland’s President Michael D Higgins issued a statement “on behalf of the people of Ireland” expressing heartfelt sympathy.

Former Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams – who had headed the party once commonly referred to as the political wing of the IRA – retweeted a message of condolence from the republican party’s current leader.

“To the Royal Family and all who mourn the death of Queen Elizabeth, especially Irish Unionists, I extend sincere sympathy,” Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald wrote in a tweet.

“She lived a long, full life. In her lifetime relationships between our countries were changed and changing. I salute her contribution to this transformation.”

To the Royal Family and all who mourn the death of Queen Elizabeth, especially Irish Unionists, I extend sincere sympathy. She lived a long, full life. In her lifetime relationships between our countries were changed and changing. I salute her contribution to this transformation — Mary Lou McDonald (@MaryLouMcDonald) September 8, 2022

The expression of sympathy in Ireland from all quarters demonstrates how Queen Elizabeth achieved something remarkable in the fraught history of the two countries.

And it began with a visit.

Symbols and reconciliation

In 2011, Elizabeth became the first British monarch to visit the Republic of Ireland since the country fought and gained independence from London almost a century earlier.

During her four-day trip, the queen wore green – the symbolism not lost in a country referred to as the “emerald isle”.

She laid a wreath at a monument dedicated to those who had fought and died for Irish independence from Britain.

She stepped onto the pitch at Dublin’s Croke Park stadium, the home of traditional Irish sport and the scene of a mass killing of 14 people by British forces almost 100 years earlier.

Then at a dinner in Dublin Castle, the former nerve centre of British rule in Ireland, the queen spoke some words in the Irish language.

The queen’s use of Gaelic, once banned under British rule, to begin her speech drew an audible gasp of surprise and a spontaneous round of applause from guests in attendance.

Min @EamonRyan described as "pivotal" the moment Queen Elizabeth spoke Irish at the State dinner in Dublin Castle in 2011 pic.twitter.com/zQa0T6yWbK — Morning Ireland (@morningireland) September 9, 2022

The queen’s visit – during which she expressed regret for centuries of conflict between the two countries – was a powerful gesture of reconciliation for Britain’s bloody past in Ireland.

Her description of the two countries as “firm friends and equal partners”, and her many other gestures, had the power to reset relations with Britain for more than one generation in Ireland.

“During those memorable few days eleven years ago, the queen did not shy away from the shadows of the past,” President Higgins wrote in his message of condolence.

“Her moving words and gestures of respect were deeply appreciated and admired by the people of Ireland.”

Healing history

A year after her visit to Ireland, the queen met and shook the hand of former IRA commander and then-Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland, the late Martin McGuinness, in Belfast.

That handshake was historic.

The IRA had killed the queen’s cousin Lord Louis Mountbatten – the last viceroy of India – in 1979 when they blew up his fishing boat in Donegal Bay, in the republic’s northwest. Three other relatives of Mountbatten died in the attack.

In a historic gesture in 2012, Queen Elizabeth shook hands with Northern Ireland deputy first minister Martin McGuinness, a former commander of the Irish Republican Army [File: Reuters]

Thirty years of bloodshed between Irish nationalists, pro-British loyalists, and the British military in British-run Northern Ireland was largely ended by the 1998 peace deal that was brokered by Irish and British leaders.

But it was the queen’s visit 13 years after the signing of the peace agreement that provided a degree of personal, historic healing.

Writing in Britain’s Guardian newspaper shortly after the Queen’s visit, Irish columnist Fintan O’Toole summed up a feeling likely experienced by many Irish people.

“There are, presumably, two rules the Queen has absorbed so deeply that they have become instinctive: don’t take risks; don’t stir emotions,” O’Toole wrote.

“She broke both rules in Ireland last week,” he wrote.

“To the great surprise of those of us who have little time for monarchy, she walked that line with amazing grace. It is not simply that she didn’t put a foot wrong. It is that every step seemed exactly right.”

Queen Elizabeth’s Complicated Relationship with Ireland, Britain’s First Colony 

L ike many of Britain’s former colonies , Ireland has had a complicated relationship with both Britain and its monarchy, one uniquely shaped by a geographical proximity that created intimate but not necessarily friendly ties both economically and culturally.

The death of Queen Elizabeth II raised much discussion about the British monarchy’s relationship with its former colonies . In the Republic of Ireland , which gained its independence in 1921, the response was respectful and somewhat muted, consistent with complex history.

Ireland endured eight centuries of political and military intervention by its neighbor before finally gaining its independence. But Queen Elizabeth (and now King Charles III) remained head of state in the six counties that make up Northern Ireland , which is still part of the U.K.— and a point of friction for 70 years. During the violent period of the late 1960s to late 1990s known as The Troubles, more than 3,700 people lost their lives, including the uncle of the Queen’s husband: Lord Louis Mountbatten , an icon of British imperialism, was killed in 1979 by a Irish Republic Army bomb.

Yet upon the Queen’s death, Irish politicians both North and South and on either side of the political divide issued statements of condolence, tribute and praise, testament to the important role she played in repairing relations between Britain and Ireland.

The first colony

Not only was Ireland Britain’s nearest colony, it was also its first. Conquered by the Normans in 1169, the island remained (apart from a brief decade of independence in the 1640s) a colony for over 700 years. It provided something of a test site for methods of governing, policies and practices, including the promotion of English culture and language, that were later transferred to other parts of the British Empire.

It also proved an early example of resistance. Generations of Irish nationalists viewed the British monarchy and army alike as the enemy. The IRA described the assassination of Mountbatten as a “discriminate act to bring the attention of the English people the continuing occupation of our country.” While the Queen a number of times visited Northern Ireland – where many in the Protestant majority identify as British – when it came to the Republic of Ireland there “effectively wasn’t a relationship after Irish Independence until the mid-1990s,” says Marie Coleman, Professor of Twentieth Century Irish History at Queen’s University in Belfast.

The monarchy was “not popular with a majority of the Irish population,” says Dan Mulhall, former Irish Ambassador to the U.K. and current Irish studies professor at New York University. “There were obviously traumatic events during the 19th century and then in the 20th century.”

The Queen and the peace

In 1993, the Queen invited then-President of Ireland Mary Robinson to Buckingham Palace for tea. It was the first official meeting between the heads of state of Ireland and Britain and marked the start of a slow process of improving relations during the 1990s, after the IRA announced a ceasefire, and its political branch, Sinn Fein, embraced negotiations. In 1995 the Prince of Wales (now King Charles III) visited Dublin.

As the peace process that led to the 1998 Good Friday Agreement unfolded, the relationship that Elizabeth II built with the next President of Ireland, Mary McAleese, helped pave the way for the first visit by a British monarch to the Republic of Ireland , in 2011. “There hadn’t been an official visit by the British monarchy in 400 years,” says Mulhall. The visit in 2011 would prove to be “a turning point in relations,” he adds.

“It was a recognition that both the U.K. and the Republic of Ireland treated each other as equal nations which had much in common with each other,” says Coleman.

There was a huge amount of symbolism during the visit, and the Queen clearly grasped its critical role in improving relations between the countries. The first stop was to lay a wreath at the Garden of Remembrance in Dublin, which is dedicated to the memory of those who died “in the cause of Irish Freedom” – in other words, those who fought for Irish independence against Britain. “Yet she went there and she bowed her head,” says Mulhall, ”recognizing the contribution those people had made to the evolution of modern Ireland.”

Read More : Queen Elizabeth’s Passing Could Push Some Countries to Alter Their Ties to the British Monarchy

And though the Queen’s visit drew protests and critics in the Republic of Ireland, in Northern Ireland, and in the U.K, “she understood the power of images and symbolism and did a number of things which clearly won people over and turned the visit into a great success,” says Mulhall.

At a state banquet in Dublin Castle, Queen Elizabeth began her speech with a greeting in the Irish language—” a uachtaran agus a chairde ” [President and friends]. The speech acknowledged the history and difficulties between the two countries. “Of course, the relationship has not always been straightforward; nor has the record over the centuries been entirely benign,” she said. “It is a sad and regrettable reality that through history our islands have experienced more than their fair share of heartache, turbulence and loss.”

That visit, however, paved the way for better relations and a year later, on a visit to Northern Ireland, there was another even more remarkable mark of progress. At the Lyric Theater in Belfast, the Queen shook hands with Martin McGuinness of Sinn Fein, the then Northern Ireland deputy first minister. The handshake lasted just four seconds but was hugely significant given that McGuinness was a former IRA commander and had held a senior role in the paramilitary organization at the time of the assassination of Lord Mountbatten.

“It was obviously significant for that reason,” says Coleman. Though she adds it also was significant “for Irish Republicanism that McGuinness was prepared to shake the hand of a British monarch whose right to rule over any part of Ireland is not accepted by the party of which he was a leading figure at the time.”

A service, not a wake

Upon news of the Queen’s Sept. 8 death , two Irish soldiers lowered the Irish flag to half mast at government buildings in Dublin as a mark of respect.

The Irish flag has been lowered to half mast at Government Buildings this evening to mark the death of HM Queen Elizabeth. Statement from Taoiseach @MichealMartinTD ➡️ https://t.co/luw9aLl0sl pic.twitter.com/kvs7Ki9zwv — MerrionStreet.ie (@merrionstreet) September 8, 2022

But mourning was not the order of the day. Twitter in Ireland was alive with discussion on the role the monarchy had played in Ireland, and its colonial legacy. Many raised the issue of the long painful history of colonization and a video of Irish soccer fans singing “Lizzie is in a box” went viral, the club later issuing a statement condemning the chant.

Her death brought respectful condolences from political figures, including members of Sinn Fein, who commended the role she played in bettering relations between the two countries. “Queen Elizabeth’s Visit was pivotal in laying a firm basis for an authentic and ethical understanding between our countries,” said Irish President Michael D Higgins . “Her moving words and gestures of respect were deeply appreciated and admired by the people of Ireland and set out a new, forward looking relationship between our nations – one of respect, close partnership and sincere friendship.”

Taoiseach [Prime Minister] Micheal Martin said: “The Queen’s passing is indeed the end of an era. Her State Visit to Ireland in 2011 marked a crucial step in the normalization of relations with our nearest neighbor.”

The First Minister of Northern Ireland, Sinn Fein politician Michelle O’Neill acknowledged the Queen’s “significant contribution.” “Throughout the peace process she led by example in building relationships with those of us who are Irish, and who share a different political allegiance and aspirations to herself and her Government,” she said.

It’s with deep regret that I learned of the passing of Queen Elizabeth II.   The British people will miss the leadership she gave as monarch.   I would like to offer my sincere sympathies and condolences to her children, and wider family as they come to terms with their grief 1/4 — Michelle O’Neill (@moneillsf) September 8, 2022

Since Brexit, the overall relationship between Ireland and the U.K. have been put under strain, with a number of disputes including a political row over trade arrangements. “The monarchy might be one conduit to try to repair this,” says Mulhall.

Read More : Queen Elizabeth II Has Died. Here’s How Prince Charles Became King

Indeed, in his first speech during a visit to Northern Ireland, the future King Charles promised to “seek the welfare of all inhabitants” of Northern Ireland and vowed to follow “the shining example” of his mother given her role in improving relations and reconciliation.

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  • Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/queens-visit-to-ireland

Queen’s Visit to Ireland Shows Improved Relations with Britain

It was an “enormous gesture of reconciliation” by the Queen and a lift to the economically troubled country, said GlobalPost’s reporter in Dublin, Conor O’Clery . This is the first time a British monarch has visited Ireland since it won independence in 1921.

The Queen continues her solemn tour Wednesday by visiting Croke Park , the stadium where British troops shot 13 spectators and an athlete in retaliation for the killing of 14 British intelligence officers by Irish revolutionary Michael Collins’ squad.

“She’ll see a display of Gaelic games there,” said O’Clery. “The idea of her going there would have been seen as a joke 10 or 15 years ago.”

But in the past two decades, the two countries have engaged in efforts to restore relations. Talks involving Britain, the U.S., and political parties in Ireland and Northern Ireland led to the Good Friday Agreement for Irish political self-determination and de-escalation of violence.

“Since the agreement, the relationships have been steadily improving to the point where the Queen could visit here today,” O’Clery said.

Some thought the visit came too soon — Sinn Fein’s leader said in March it was premature, though more recently he said it could advance the two countries’ mutual respect — and about 200 to 300 people protested and scuffled with police, noted O’Clery.

But in general, people accept the royal family and aren’t disturbed by the past, he said. “Now that the future of Ireland is more in the hands of the Irish people, that boil has been lanced.”

The Queen’s visit wraps up on Friday.

The BBC has photos of the day’s events. Reuters takes a look at the history of Anglo-Irish friction .

View all of our World coverage and follow us on Twitter .

Larisa Epatko produced multimedia web features and broadcast reports with a focus on foreign affairs for the PBS NewsHour. She has reported in places such as Jordan , Pakistan , Iraq , Haiti , Sudan , Western Sahara , Guantanamo Bay , China , Vietnam , South Korea , Turkey , Germany and Ireland .

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queen elizabeth ii visits ireland

Queen Elizabeth's first historic visit to Ireland confirmed

Queen elizabeth ii has formally announced her first state visit to the republic of ireland later this year. she ....

HRH Queen Elizabeth II

Read more: Queen Elizabeth urged to see the real Ireland during her visit

Queen Elizabeth II has formally announced her first state visit to the Republic of Ireland later this year. She will be the first British monarch to visit Ireland in a century. The 84-year-old queen will be accompanied by her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, during the symbolic visit. No specific date has been given for the visit. King George V was the last British monarch to visit Ireland, when he spent six days in Dublin in 1911, when Britain and Ireland were still united under a single crown. Speaking about the Royal visit, Julian King, the British Ambassador said the invitation “symbolizes how far the relationship has come in recent years; the strength of our economic and political ties; and the progress that has been made in Northern Ireland.” “The visit will provide an excellent opportunity to celebrate this, and build on the rich and varied links that exist across these islands,” he said Friday. First Minister Peter Robinson also welcomed the announcement. He said:"The news of a visit by Her Majesty to the Irish Republic will be welcomed by all right-thinking people throughout the United Kingdom and that country as a positive development. "It is a sign of the normalization of relations between our two countries that such a visit by our Head of State will be taking place. "I would urge Republicans to afford Her Majesty the same degree of respect shown by people in the United Kingdom to Mary McAleese". Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams described the visit as premature but claimed it was an indication of how time is changing. "As Republicans Sinn Fein is very aware of the symbolism of a state visit by Queen Elizabeth of England and of the offence it will cause to many Irish citizens, particularly victims of British rule and those with legacy issues in this state and in the North," he said. Prince Charles, the eldest son of the queen has visited Ireland on several occasions including a visit to Dublin in 1995 and another in 2002. While Prince Phillip made an official visit to Dublin in 1998 and 2006. Ireland’s presidency confirmed the announcement and added that full details will be released later.

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queen elizabeth ii visits ireland

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queen elizabeth ii visits ireland

A friend to Ireland: How the Queen’s visit here made history between two nations

queen elizabeth ii visits ireland

‘A Uachtaráin agus a cháirde,’ the historic address began. Queen Elizabeth II’s visit to Ireland in 2011 made history both as the first British monarch to visit Ireland in 100 years and the first since the nation gained independence from Britain.

That brief but powerful greeting ‘president and friends’ as Gaeilge, marked a significant softening of relations between Ireland and Britain. Today Britain is shrouded in grief after its beloved Queen, a good friend to Ireland, died ‘peacefully’ at Balmoral yesterday at the age of 96.

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Story continues below.

As her distraught family gathered at her Highland home, the new King – who will be known as Charles III – last night spoke of their ‘greatest sadness’ and said her death would be ‘deeply felt throughout the country, the Realms and the Commonwealth, and by countless people around the world’.

The Queen

Crowds carrying floral tributes gathered at the gates of Buckingham Palace, Windsor and Balmoral last night. Tonight Charles will give his first televised address to his country and Commonwealth as King, which he will have recorded earlier in the day. Sources said he has a ‘clear idea of what he intends to say’.

During her historic 2011 visit the Queen acknowledged the dificult history between our islands: ‘To all those who have suffered as a consequence of our troubled past, I extend my sincere thoughts and deep sympathy.

‘With the benefit of historical hindsight we can all see things which we would wish had been done differently or not at all.’

During the four-day State visit, she won praise after she laid a wreath and bowed her head in Dublin’s Garden of Remembrance to pay tribute to the rebels who rose up against British rule in 1916 and for speaking that little bit of Irish during the State banquet at Dublin Castle.

Queen Elizabeth II

Feargal Purcell, a government press adviser to then-Taoiseach Enda Kenny, said that ‘a huge amount of history got condensed into that moment’.

He added: ‘I remember hearing Mary McAleese when the Queen started speaking Irish. You could hear her amazement.

‘She exclaimed, and you could hear it. Not because she said it loudly, because she whispered it, but there wasn’t a sound to be heard in the room beyond what the Queen was saying.

‘I think that froze everybody. Time slowed down a little bit, in that moment, and what got condensed into that was a lot of hurt and a lot of healing.

‘It went from being a nervous situation to being a kind of mutual respect and moved into joy.’.

Last night, the Defence Forces military police lowered the Irish flag to half-mast outside Government Buildings in Dublin after the announcement of her death.

queen elizabeth ii visits ireland

In a tribute, President Michael D Higgins said the Queen ‘did not shy away from the shadows of the past’ during her visit, and that her ‘moving words and gestures of respect were deeply appreciated and admired by the people of Ireland’.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin said her 2011 visit ‘marked a crucial step in the normalisation of relations with our nearest neighbour’.

Mr Purcell said Mrs McAleese was important in laying the foundations in the years before the visit and that the maturing of the relationship was fast-tracked under her presidency.

Mr Kenny’s government had just come into power after winning an election three months earlier, but the significance of the Queen’s upcoming visit ‘was not lost on anybody’, Mr Purcell said.

queen elizabeth ii visits ireland

He added: ‘The focus was on getting it right. It was seen for the opportunity that it turned out to be. It was a very fraught economic time for Ireland. There was a concern, and such was the public reaction that that seemed to almost evaporate.

‘It was almost as if that moment gave licence to us all to move on. Every party has to move on for the shared history, but that line in that speech seemed to be a gateway into a more equal and mature relationship.’

Of the Queen’s bow at the Garden of Remembrance, Mr Purcell remarked: ‘On reflection, what’s recurring to me is the power of the personal gesture – unbelievable power in the words spoken at Dublin Castle, and in that bow.

‘The bow seemed to me to be the action that backed up the words in Dublin Castle. It was the action, so if you look at the words, and you look at the memorial, the bow, you could tie one to the other.

queen elizabeth ii visits ireland

‘So it seemed to me the Queen was determined that the visit was going to have an outcome.’

Another defining moment of her visit was her trip to Cork’s historic English Market where among other traders, she met fishmonger Pat O’Connell. The treasured episode was captured and remains hung today behind the fish stall that Mr O’Connell’s mother Kathleen founded in 1962.

The Queen broke into a smile of genuine warmth as Mr O’Connell quipped about calling an ugly monkfish ‘the mother-in-law fish’ and the happy scene made its way to newspapers around the world.

Mr O’Connell later said: ‘We are influenced by history and we won’t forget history but there comes a time when you say, “It’s time to move on”. And at the end of the day, we have more in common with Britain than what separates us.’

Photographer Ray McManus photographed the Queen as she was escorted around the grounds of Croke Park in Dublin by Mrs McAleese and the then president of the GAA, Christy Cooney.

British forces shot dead 14 spectators at a Gaelic football match held in the stadium in 1923.

He said: ‘She was very pleasant,’ adding that the tour of the stadium was ‘very cordial, very relaxed’. Mr McManus added: ‘It was very ordinary, down-to-earth, there was no airs or graces about it. She didn’t say a whole lot, which I think is her way.

queen elizabeth ii visits ireland

‘I remember taking a particular shot where she smiled profusely under the GAA logo with 1884 on it. She just happened to stand between me and the GAA crest. I didn’t particularly move or she didn’t particularly move. But she just happened to stand there under the crest.

‘There was a line of former presidents of the GAA and she was introduced to them all and shook hands with them all. All very senior GAA people who you wouldn’t have thought would be lining up to shake hands with the Queen. But they were.’

Four years after the Queen’s visit, her son Charles, now King, visited the harbour village Mullaghmore in Co. Sligo where the IRA murdered his great uncle, and the Queen’s cousin, Lord Mountbatten in 1979.

Of the Queen’s visit and of US President Barak Obama to Ireland three days later, Mr Purcell said ‘the people parked their pain, and people were in a lot of pain financially and other ways, and seemed to embrace all those things. ‘One of the things we might look at as neighbours, is to remind ourselves of what the Queen’s legacy might be for these islands.’

With additional reporting Gráinne Ní Aodha

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  1. State visit by Elizabeth II to the Republic of Ireland

    Elizabeth II. Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and her husband Prince Philip made a state visit to the Republic of Ireland from 17 to 20 May 2011, at the invitation of the President of Ireland, Mary McAleese. It was the first visit by a reigning British monarch to the area that is now the Republic ...

  2. The Queen's visit to Ireland: day one highlights of historic tour

    See how the first day of the Queen's historic visit to Ireland unfolded.

  3. Queen Elizabeth II 'charmed entire country' on her Irish visit

    Queen Elizabeth II "managed to charm an entire country" during her historic state visit to the Republic of Ireland, the Irish foreign minister has said. Simon Coveney said many Irish people saw ...

  4. Queen Elizabeth II's trip in Ireland anniversary

    The first official visit to Ireland by a British monarch in 100 years, Queen Elizabeth was widely applauded for her gestures of reconciliation while on her four-day trip to Ireland in May 2011.

  5. Reflections on Queen Elizabeth II's historic trip to the Republic of

    In 2011, Queen Elizabeth II made an historic visit to the Republic of Ireland. It's widely remembered as a cordial affair - making history both as the first British monarch to visit the Republic ...

  6. In pictures: The Queen on the island of Ireland

    In pictures: The Queen on the island of Ireland. 8th September 2022, 11:35 PDT. Getty Images. Queen Elizabeth II's historic handshake with former IRA leader Martin McGuinness in Belfast on 27 June ...

  7. Queen Elizabeth Begins Historic Irish Republic Visit

    The Queen has arrived in the Irish Republic for the start of an historic state visit.The monarch, dressed in emerald green and accompanied by the Duke of Edi...

  8. Queen Elizabeth remembered in Ireland for historic reconciliation

    Queen Elizabeth II reigned for more than 70 years and for 30 years during that time a vicious conflict was fought in the part of her United Kingdom known as Northern Ireland. About 3,600 people ...

  9. In pictures: The Queen on the island of Ireland

    Queen Elizabeth II greets the crowd in Ballinamallard, County Fermanagh, during the first full day of her Golden Jubilee tour of Northern Ireland in 2002 Image source, Pacemaker Image caption,

  10. Queen Elizabeth II's Complex Relationship With Ireland

    "Queen Elizabeth's Visit was pivotal in laying a firm basis for an authentic and ethical understanding between our countries," said Irish President Michael D Higgins. "Her moving words and ...

  11. Queen's Visit to Ireland Shows Improved Relations with Britain

    Queen Elizabeth II visits Garden of Remembrance. Photo by Irish Government - Pool/Getty Images. Queen Elizabeth II began her visit to Ireland doing something many Irish thought they would never ...

  12. The Queen arrives in Ireland on historic state visit

    The Queen becomes the first British monarch to visit Ireland since Irish independence.

  13. The Queen's delight at many visits to Northern Ireland and the Republic

    John Warden Brooke, 2nd Viscount Brookeborough (L), Queen Elizabeth II and her husband Prince Philip listen to drummers in July 1953 during an official visit to Northern Ireland. Following the ...

  14. Queen Elizabeth II 'charmed entire country' on her Irish visit

    Queen Elizabeth II "managed to charm an entire country" during her historic state visit to the Republic of Ireland, the Irish foreign minister has said. Simon Coveney said many Irish people saw ...

  15. In full: the Queen's speech during her visit to Ireland in 2011

    In May 2011, Queen Elizabeth II visited Ireland following an invitation from then president Mary McAleese. It was the first visit by a reigning British monarch to the area that is now the Republic of Ireland since the 1911 tour by Elizabeth's grandfather King George V, when the entire island of Ireland was still part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.

  16. Queen in Ireland: Chequered history behind visit

    15 May 2011. King George V was the last British monarch to visit Ireland - in 1911. As the Queen prepares for her four-day state visit to Ireland on Tuesday, BBC royal correspondent Nicholas ...

  17. Queen Elizabeth's first historic visit to Ireland confirmed

    Prince Charles, the eldest son of the queen has visited Ireland on several occasions including a visit to Dublin in 1995 and another in 2002. While Prince Phillip made an official visit to Dublin ...

  18. How Queen Elizabeth II won Ireland's heart after years of bitter division

    Queen Elizabeth II was scheduled to visit sites of huge significance for Irish nationalism. For some, the wounds of Empire and the Troubles remained raw, despite the Good Friday Agreement in 1998 .

  19. A friend to Ireland: How the Queen's visit here made history

    Queen Elizabeth II's visit to Ireland in 2011 made history both as the first British monarch to visit Ireland in 100 years and the first since the nation gained independence from Britain. That brief but powerful greeting 'president and friends' as Gaeilge, marked a significant softening of relations between Ireland and Britain. ...

  20. 10th Anniversary of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II visit to Ireland

    Ten years ago, this week Queen Elizabeth of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and her late husband Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh ma...

  21. IN PICTURES: the Queen's visit to Ireland in 2011

    Britain's Queen Elizabeth II (L) and Prince Philip,The Duke of Edinburgh visit the Guinness Storehouse Gravity Bar in Dublin, on the second day of the Queen's four-day visit to Ireland, on May 18, 2011. Queen Elizabeth II Wednesday visits an Irish stadium where British troops massacred 14 people, trying to heal old wounds in a historic step ...

  22. Platinum Jubilee: The Queen and the island of Ireland

    The early newsreels of royal visits to Northern Ireland show scenes of public euphoria - and feature some interesting facts. ... The 38-year-old was arrested as the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II ...

  23. Platinum Jubilee: The Queen and Northern Ireland through the years

    The Queen has made 25 visits to Northern Ireland, including three before she ascended to the throne. ... Queen Elizabeth II was crowned in June 1953 and subsequently went on a coronation tour.