The first visit by a British monarch to the Republic of Ireland is being prevented only by the incomplete political settlement in Northern Ireland, it emerged yesterday, during a three-day tour of the Province by the Queen.

Mary McAleese, President of the Republic, said after a ten-minute private meeting with the Queen: “I think the day is significantly closer.” The two heads of state met in Belfast at the home of the Vice-Chancellor of Queen’s University before going on to its campus to celebrate the centenary of its royal charter.

Mrs McAleese said that everyone knew what had to be done to make a visit possible. “We know that it is dependent on the completion of devolution, which hopefully will not be too far away. That means the return of policing and criminal justice responsibility to the Executive in Northern Ireland.

“We had hoped that would be May. Now we are not entirely sure what the timescale is. We hope it will keep closely to the timetable. When that is done, when devolution is completed, I think then anything is possible.”

The Democratic Unionists are withholding consent to the devolution of police and justice powers to the local Assembly until they are satisfied that the threat of Irish republican terrorism is over. The President said that she thought it unlikely that a visit would take place this year, adding: “I would be hopeful, though, that it would happen sooner rather than later.”

She added: “As you know, I am long on the record as saying I would wish that the visit would happen. We know that Her Majesty wishes to come and we know that we wish her to come. Please goodness it will happen.”

The private meeting between the monarch, the Irish head of state and their spouses was the fifth they have had, but their first in Northern Ireland. The President said they had a very good discussion and were very positive. “Both of us talked about how miraculous these times are in Northern Ireland,” she said.

“Both of us are very positive about things, both making the point that, in the past when we have met, these were the days we hoped for and prayed for and were never sure when they would come – now we were sitting really enjoying it.” Relations between Britain and Ireland were now better than they had been for centuries, she said, adding that there was warmth, friendliness, mutual respect and confidence.

More than a thousand people gathered at the university to welcome the Queen – some waving Union Jacks. Police marksmen scanned the area from the rooftops.

Inside, the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh, with President McAleese watching, unveiled a stone engraved with a stanza written by the Nobel laureate Seamus Heaney to mark the centenary. Both the Irish President and Mr Heaney are past students and members of staff of the university.

Professor Peter Gregson, the Vice-Chancellor of Queen’s University, said: “We welcome Her Majesty today, not just as an honoured guest, but as part of our community. The Queen’s official role as the University Visitor is an important part of our system of governance.”

Earlier the Rev Ian Paisley, leader of the Democratic Unionist Party and Northern Ireland First Minister, met the Queen and the Duke at the East Belfast Mission church. “The Queen has visited Northern Ireland many times before, but not, I believe, at a more promising time for the Province,” Mr Paisley said.

Not all his party colleagues were happy. Stephen Moutray, a member of the Stormont Assembly, said: “It is frankly despicable that a foreign head of state should seek to use an occasion such as Her Majesty’s visit, which is a happy and joyous event, as some sort of political platform.

“Sufficient public confidence does not exist in Northern Ireland, where Mary McAleese’s opinions matter not a jot, to allow devolution of policing and justice powers to occur.”

Troubled history

— Prince Philip is the highest ranking royal to go to the Irish Republic in 97 years. He visited Dublin in April, 2006, fuelling speculation about the possibility of the Queen visiting

— The last British monarch to step on Irish soil was George V in 1911, ten years before independence

— Regal blood flows through the veins of many Irishmen. A study found that three million men of Irish descent can be traced to a 5th-century Irish ruler Niall of the Nine Hostages. The trail is second only to Genghis Khan, ancestor to 16 million men in Asia

— Queen Victoria visited Ireland in the mid-18th century, during the potato famine which caused a million deaths. She commented on the “ragged and wretched people here”

Source: BBC, Times databse

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