Ireland and the UK have been EU partners since 1973 and both Ireland and the British Isles share a long interlinked history and essentially the same popular culture. It is now high time to move on from the past to a complete normalising of relations between both our countries. It is not surprising therefore that An Taoiseach Mr Brian Cowen has signaled that Queen Elizabeth II will probably make a state visit to this country before the end of next year.
Speaking in London after a meeting with British Prime Minister David Cameron, Mr Cowen signaled that the visit would, only rightly, be before the end of Irish President Mary McAleese’s second term in office which regrettably comes to an end next year.
The Taoiseach said that no obstacle now exists to prevent a State Visit to Ireland by Britain’s Queen taking place, and I like the vast majority of Tipperary people fully agree.
As a citizen of a modern, sovereign European state, I have no difficult with the head of state of my nearest neighbour coming over for a visit. She is not only the Head of State of our nearest neighbour, but also our most important trading partner and home to at least a million of our citizens.
This proposed visit is a measure of the long overdue parity of esteem that we as a Nation worked so hard for and achieved in the last 10 to 15 years. To those who voice opposition, I say leave the past to the past, where it rightly belongs and move on.
The very few opponents to her intended visit to this country need to grow up, so come on Ireland, show how far we’ve come and put out your ‘Welcome Mats’. This is a wonderful opportunity for the future of this country. Let us show the world that when it comes to ‘Welcomes’, there is no welcome like an ‘Irish Welcome’.
Already the smart busy tourist attractions like Kerry are ‘sticking their spade in’ suggesting she should visit their natural beauty spots, like Muckross Estate, but when Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II comes to Ireland, the most obvious place to take her is to her ancestral home, here in Thurles, Co.Tipperary.
As our readers can observe by clicking on our ‘Family Tree’ picture, (on right of this screen), Queen Elizabeth II not only acquired her christian name, but is also a direct descendant of Viscount and Lady Elizabeth Butler of Thurles (Latter formally Miss Elizabeth Poyntz, daughter of Sir John Poyntz,Bart., of Acton in Gloucestershire, England.) through their eldest son, the Duke of Ormond. The Duke’s daughter, also Elizabeth, married Philip Stanhope, 2nd Earl Chesterfield, and their daughter Elizabeth Stanhope married John Lyon, 4th Earl Strathmore. Six generations later in direct line was the 14th Earl Strathmore whose daughter, Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon married the future King George VI; and these are the parents and grandparents respectivly of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and her son Charles, latter heir apparent to the thrones of the Commonwealth realms.
Your Majesty we would love to have you amongst us, here in Thurles, as our guest, even if only for an hour or so.
A visit by Queen Elizabeth II to Thurles would greatly encourage tourism to this, at times, forgotten area. Where are all our community leaders and those who profess to care for this historic town?
According to Board Failte 8,012,000 overseas visitors came to Ireland in 2007. It comes as no surprise that 4,032,000 of this number came to us from Great Britain. Regrettably, North Tipperary saw very few of them, due mainly to poor promotion of this area, by those who control our large tourism budget.
THE FAMINNE QUENN – Ireland on its last legs invites a dying monchary to Ireland shores at the expence of the now established and agreed REPUPLIC it will come out of tax payers expence… what ever happened to poynings law lads. We’ll serve no king nor Kaiser, vive la republic.
Hi Audrey,
Your comment leaves us rather confused here at Thurles.Info. Surely, this country, which you regard as being on its last legs, will not have its power taken away and our parliament made a mere shadow of itself, entirely dependent on an English queen and her council, because the crowned head of one of our largest overseas markets comes on a visit to her ancestral home in Thurles.
Explain your remarks please, as Poynings Law was introduced in the year 1494 under then English rule, and therefore hardly relevant!
Surely our next King or Kaiser is more likely to be Mr Dominique Strauss-Kahn, Managing Director of the IMF (International Monetary Fund).