Queen Elizabeth II is to visit Trinity College it has been confirmed. Details of the Queen’s itinerary were made public yesterday and also includes a historic trip to Croke Park and the Garden of Remembrance.
This is the Queen’s first state tour of Ireland and the first time a reigning monarch has visited the Republic since Ireland gained independence from British rule in 1922. Queen Elizabeth was invited by the Irish President Mary McAleese and will be accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh for her 4 day stay.
According to an announcement made by the official website of the British Monarch, the Queen will begin with a formal welcome by President McAleese at Áras an Uachtaráin, a ceremony at the Garden of Remembrance, a courtesy call on the Taoiseach at Government Buildings and a State dinner in Dublin Castle, at which both The Queen and the President will deliver speeches.
The Queen’s visit will last from Tuesday 17th to Friday 20th May 2011 and also includes a visit to the Irish National Stud in Kildare as well as Cashel in County Tipperary, and Cork, as well as events at Trinity College Dublin, at the National War Memorial Gardens in Islandbridge, at the Guinness Storehouse and at Croke Park.
Due to the public nature of the Queen’s state visit, security has already been put on high alert. Reports in Dublin suggest that Player’s House was raided last night because of a 40ft banner barring the Queen during her state visit. Ammunition was later found at the north Dublin pub and three men have been held over the haul.
The Queen’s visit to Croke Park is considered to be the most controversial planned event. The sports ground, where British soldiers killed 14 people during a football match on ‘Bloody Sunday’ in 1920, saw similar controversy when Ireland faced England for the first time at the stadium in a 6 Nations Rugby match in 2007.
Elizabeth’s grandfather King George V was the last monarch to visit Ireland, and this visit is reportedly the brainchild of the Irish government who are eager to put a century of tensions between the two countries behind them with the Queen also said to be supportive of the idea. The state trip marks a high-point in relations between the two nations, something the new government will be looking to build on in the future.
British ambassador Julian King said: “Her majesty and the duke will be able to experience at first hand the vibrant links that make our relationship with Ireland so important… This is a historic visit that also celebrates our close modern partnership.”
It is as yet not known what day Queen Elizabeth will be visiting Trinity College but early speculation would suggest Friday May 20th. Unfortunately for students, the trip coincides with the undergraduate exam schedule and many are hoping that proceedings will not effect their study plans and tests.
Trinity College was once known as the College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, was founded in 1592 by letters patent from Queen Elizabeth I as the “mother of a university” and enjoys a rich history of visits from the British monarchy, even though this is the first visit of a British king or queen since Ireland gained independence.
Peter Twomey
