On air at 17&18GMT: Should Ireland welcome the Queen?
| 13:49 UK time, Tuesday, 17 May 2011
The Queen today is for the first time since the Republic was formed in 1916.
Not everyone is looking forward to the British head of state's arrival.
Tom writes on the :
"Conflicts are still unsolved. When they are rectified we can welcome her and give her a cup of tea, but she is not welcome at the moment. It's also hypocritical of the queen to visit the Garden Of Remembrance on the anniversary of the Dublin and Monaghan bombings; everybody in this town has a story of a relative who was killed or nearly killed when the British birds descended on Dublin."
But some people do welcome the visit:
Sean in Navan also posts on the Irish Times
"I think we have to bury the past and look forward. If we can welcome the English rugby team to Croke Park then we can also welcome the queen."
And the Irish Prime Minister, Edna Kerry says the Queen would "receive a very warm welcome from the vast majority of Irish people.
"The visit of Queen Elizabeth is the start of a new era between both countries and it is one based on respect and friendship and mutual recognition of two countries having normalised relations."
So what's your reaction? Would you welcome the visit of a former colonial power to your country? How should former colonial powers be treated by their former colonies? How can colonial relationships be reconciled?
