Queen Elizabeth, first British monarch in a century to visit Ireland

Queen Elizabeth, first British monarch in a century to visit Ireland

Queen Elizabeth II will become the first ruling British monarch since 1911 to visit Ireland probably in May this year, Buckingham Palace announced today. The historic visit will mark another milestone in British-Irish affairs.

Ireland became a sovereign republic in 1922 after a war against Britain. Northern Ireland subsequently became part of the United Kingdom. Hostilities against British dominion over Northern Ireland became a major blot in the relationship between the two countries. But a peace accord in 1998 had improved relations.

Now, Queen Elizabeth II wants to build on the strengthened goodwill among the two nations with her visit, where she will be accompanied by her husband Prince Philip.

"The Queen has been pleased to accept an invitation from the president of Ireland to pay a visit to Ireland this year," said a statement. Buckingham Palace did not provide details of the visit.

Queen Elizabeth's grandfather King George V was the last ruling monarch to visit Ireland in 1911. But King Philip and Prince Charles have visited the country in recent years.

The government of Ireland issued a statement in response saying the visit "will mark a further improvement in the very good relations between Ireland and the United Kingdom."

But Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams said the visit was premature and would cause "offence" to many Irish "particularly victims of British rule and those with legacy issues in this state and in the North."

Irish President Mary McAleese meanwhile has thrown her support for the upcoming visit by Queen Elizabeth II.

Posted by Kade Quinn on Saturday March 05 2011, 4:15 AM EDT. Ref: Inquirer. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Featured News, World. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0