Read more:Sinn Fein’s Gerry Adams slams Queen Elizabeth’s upcoming visit to Ireland
The Queen of England will make her historic visit to Ireland in May, according to newspaper reports on Monday morning.
The Irish Independent has reported that Queen Elizabeth II will fly into Dublin on May 17th.
No official confirmation of the dates has been forthcoming from the office of the Irish President Mary McAleese.
But the Irish Independent reported on Monday that neither President McAleese’s office or Buckingham Palace would deny or confirm a May visit.
Queen Elizabeth, now 84, will be accompanied on her controversial trip by her 91-year-old husband Prince Philip.
Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams has slammed the proposed visit as premature and said it will ‘cause offence’ to many Irish citizens, particularly victims of British rule and those with legacy issues in the north and south of Ireland.
However, Labor Party deputy leader Joan Bruton has welcomed the news of the Queen’s imminent arrival on Irish shores.
“The visit is overdue and is to be welcomed,” said Bruton, likely to be named as one of Ireland’s Finance Ministers when the country’s new parliament sits for the first time on Wednesday.
“There are so many Irish people with family in Britain and so many people of Irish descent in Britain.
“We also have a large number of UK citizens living in the Republic, so I think relations got normalized a long time ago.”
The planned arrival of Queen Elizabeth will be the first trip to Ireland by a British monarch since the foundation of the State.
The last Royal visit occurred before the outbreak of World War 1 when George V, grandfather of the current monarch, arrived in 1911.
Read more:Sinn Fein’s Gerry Adams slams Queen Elizabeth’s upcoming visit to Ireland
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