Historic visit

While it has been broadly welcomed as a symbol of strength and commitment to the peace process, there exists a vocal minority in Ireland who oppose the four-day visit by British monarch Queen Elizabeth II, which began Tuesday.

Just hours before the queen arrived in the capital, Dublin, an anonymous tip alerted authorities to a homemade bomb in the luggage compartment of a bus in the town of Maynooth, approximately 25 kilometers (15 miles) from the city. The Irish army destroyed the explosive device in a controlled detonation.

On Monday, Irish militants opposed to the peace process with Britain warned of a bomb in London near Buckingham Palace, resulting in large parts of the city center being shut down for security sweeps.

The caller who issued Monday's warning reportedly used a codeword known only to the police, lending credibility to the threat.

'Not welcome'

Last month, a Northern Irish republican militant group, the Real IRA, told the British monarch that she was not welcome on Irish soil.

The queen's trip is the first of its kind in 100 years of fractious relations between the countries over matters such as Irish independence and the British control of the six counties of Northern Ireland. The Irish government has heralded the visit of Queen Elizabeth as a sign that the peace process is holding strong.

Security was increased in Dublin, where the queen is spending most of her four days on her tour. In recent weeks, there have been a number of security alerts which were believed to have been linked to the visit. Already a group calling itself the Real IRA has made violent threats.

One recent Real IRA message said the queen was "wanted for war crimes in Ireland and not wanted on Irish soil … We will do our best to ensure she and [those] that act as her cheerleaders get that message."

Cautious approach

Thousands of police officers are on duty during the visit, while the army will also be deployed on the streets of the capital.

Water canons will be on standby if protesters disrupt proceedings, and it is understood that police have been carrying out house-to-house inquiries along the routes on which the queen is expected to travel.

"We think the visit will be disrupted in some shape or form," said Brian Leeson, the chairperson of Eirigi, a socialist republican political party whose main objective is to see the return of the six counties of Northern Ireland to the Republic of Ireland.

Leeson said Eirigi had planned a series of marches to protest the visit. Until such time as Britain withdraws from the six counties, no such tour should proceed, he said.

The queen arrived in Ireland on May 17 - the anniversary of the 1974 Dublin and Monaghan attacks in which 34 people died in car bombings. No individual or group has ever admitted responsibility for the killings, but British agents have been accused of being involved in the plot.

Brian Leeson said it was inappropriate for the visit to begin on this date. "One of the locations [Queen Elizabeth] is scheduled to visit is the Garden of Remembrance on Parnell Square, which is about 200 meters from where 11 citizens died in the Dublin Monaghan bombings," he said. "She's scheduled to visit within an hour of the 37th anniversary."

Majority relaxed

But on the streets of Dublin it would appear that many Irish people wanted the visit to pass off peacefully and without incident.

When canvassed, one local said they weren't against the visit, and that they "don't really mind, she had nothing to do with us." Another said Ireland couldn't afford to pay for such a royal visit, but that it was fine so long as the queen "pays her own way."

Another Dubliner said the visit was "good for the country … after all we're getting a big loan from the EU, we have to show a good side."

Such opinions are echoed by the Fianna Fail party, which, although no longer in government, is widely credited with paving the way for the visit after brokering the Good Friday Agreement in 1998, which marked a de-escalation of violence in Northern Ireland.

Despite the party's republican roots, Fianna Fail Senator Daragh O'Brien welcomed the visit and said it marked "how far we've come as a country and as a people."

"I think it shows the maturity that's come about in Irish politics over the years," he said.

"I myself am a republican, I believe in a united Ireland and a 32-county republic, but I believe in it on a basis of consent of all the people on the island."

Eyes on the future

O'Brien admitted that those who opposed the visit had a legitimate reason to do so, but added that the country had to move on from the troubles of the past and that this visit was an investment in Ireland's future.

"It's the final step in full normalization of relations between the Irish Republic and the United Kingdom," he said. "We've come a long way, we have a shared history. People have different views on it, but since the Good Friday Agreement, we've moved forward as two nations. We're close neighbors. They're our largest trading partner and we're one of their largest trading partners ... to me, it only makes sense."

While the threat by dissident republicans has remained a concern, the Irish government has insisted that all measures were in place to ensure this visit would be the first of many for the British royal family.

Author: Lynsey Kiely, Dublin / dfm, sk
Editor: Martin Kuebler