Danielle Ryan
The time is right for the Queen’s visit and if we can’t recognize it now, we never will. Ireland has nothing to lose from her visit and yet so much to gain. We are supposedly a modern, educated, strong, resilient, independent nation and hopefully, mature enough to see this as an opportunity, and to treat it as such.
She should be shown the same respect that we would show any other foreign dignitary. Personally, I won’t be out on the streets waving flags, but I might show up to watch history roll by. This is a monumental occasion, so let’s not waste it. Our heads of government and our President will stand beside her, equals. What an image that will be. The Queen of England, here only on invite, standing as an equal to our President. It’s an image this country needs to see. It is part of the healing process, whether we recognize that or not.
Now, I won’t be so naive as to call her “just a figurehead” because to this island she symbolizes so much more. I understand the seriousness of that symbolism, and that to me, is all the more reason to invite her, finally. To say welcome, this is our country, this is what we made of it, and we’re proud of it. To say this is a new time, a new day, and we are ready to move on.
I am well aware that there are still unresolved troubles in Northern Ireland and I know how much pain her visit may cause some families – but for others, I believe it will be cathartic. A consensus will never be found, so our government’s job was to make the decision that they felt was right for the country as a whole – and I feel that in this instance, they did make the right decision. As for those unresolved troubles. Not one of us knows how the future of Northern Ireland will pan out politically. We can never know when things will take a turn for the worse, or indeed take a turn for the better, but we can’t put off the inevitable. It is decided. The Queen of England will make a visit to this country. That visit will symbolise what has changed, changes that may come, and will truly make evident the friendly, mature relationship that has evolved slowly over time. And hopefully, the symbolism in her visit will, once and for all, be stronger than the destructive power of our shared past.
If not now, when will the naysayers feel it is right? When the North is returned to the Republic? When the sound of the last car bomb is a memory so distant that it can barely be remembered? If we hang around, waiting for the perfect time, we’ll be waiting forever.
We need to no longer worry about looking submissive. We need not worry that the timing is off because of our economic circumstances. True, economically speaking, we are struggling and will be for some time, but are we really so insecure that we need to wait until business is booming to invite the Queen? Does this visit really have to represent the Irish effectively saying “Ha, in your face bitch, look at us now!” That’s hardly a progressive attitude.
For all my words of hope about how this occasion could be used for good, I’m afraid (somewhat hypocritically) that I lack the optimism to believe it will pan out like this. In reality, I can only imagine the trouble this will cause, but like it or not, it’s happening. If we quit searching for the perfect time and the perfect day, and if we allow ourselves to really think deeply about this, each of us should be ready to say to ourselves: Today is that day. It’s time for us to stand up and be the Ireland we are meant to be.
