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Mountbatten’s daughter welcomes historic meeting between Queen and Martin McGuinness

Countess survived Sligo bomb that killed her father and son

PATRICK COUNIHAN,

IrishCentral Staff Writer

Published Thursday, June 28, 2012, 7:47 AM

Updated Thursday, June 28, 2012, 11:15 AM

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Countess Mountbatten

Photo by Telegraph

The daughter of IRA victim Earl Mountbatten has described the historic meeting between the Queen of England and Martin McGuinness as ‘a wonderful moment’.

Countess Mountbatten lost her 14-year-old son Nicholas, her father and her mother-in-law when the IRA blew up their boat off the Sligo coastline in 1979.

Four people in all lost their lives that day but Countess Mountbatten has heralded the ground breaking meeting and handshake between Sinn Fein’s McGuinness and the British monarch.

She told the Irish Independent that the Queen had her ‘full support’ ahead of meeting with former IRA man McGuinness.

The 88-year-old Countess Mountbatten told the paper: “I think it’s wonderful. I’m hugely grateful that we have come to a point where we can behave responsibly and positively.”

The Countess survived the Sligo explosion.

The Independent also reports on comments made in the past regarding her husband by the current Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams.

He is reported as saying: “What the IRA did to him is what Mountbatten had been doing all his life to other people; and with his war record I don’t think he could have objected to dying in what was clearly a war situation.

“He knew the danger involved in coming to this country. In my opinion, the IRA achieved its objective: people started paying attention to what was happening in Ireland.”

Nster.com

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allan07 | Jul 03, 2012, 02:47 PM EDT

@audreybolton they will never be a United Ireland. The people are not united. We are divided by language, culture, history, religion, allegiences, beliefs, economics, background, sport and everything else. The Republic is a failed a state and is bankrupt in all but name. 90 years of Independence to find that 110 people born in the Republic are leaving every day 365 days per year. Hardly a success when you consider they are been bailed out by Britain (loaning them £10 billion six months ago), IMF, European Loans and even Sweden's government loaned them huge amounts in bi-lateral loans. The protestant people like myself in Northern Ireland should hope for peace but always be prepared for war. Up the UVF.

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DanOLoingsigh | Jun 30, 2012, 04:43 PM EDT

Scotchtommy - your dead right...JFK should have rode in an armored car...ML King should have stayed watching TV...Lincoln should have stayed home and read a book...

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Scotchtommy | Jun 29, 2012, 02:05 AM EDT

Mountbatten repeatedly stated that a military solution (Brit or IRA) was unachievable and that there had to be a political solution which brought the NI Catholics into Government leading eventually to a United Ireland.However as a prominent Brit visiting the Republic without bodyguards or even taking any security precautions he was asking to be killed.I'm sorry for the silly old fool but I'm angry at the deaths of the teenage children as a result of his carelessness.He was such a soft target while visiting the Republic that it was only a matter of time.

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aloistmartin | Jun 28, 2012, 05:20 PM EDT

LOL ! What a condescending Joke ! based on Protestant treatment of Catholics in the "United Kingdom". Mountbatten may count Himselve Lucky, he not merely a Single Number, in a Lengthy List, of Vendetta Retribution !

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audreybolton | Jun 28, 2012, 01:21 PM EDT

I think it's very Christian of Lady Mountbatten to think of the "handshake" that way. Prince Philip also shook his hand but walked away when Mcguinness tried to make small talk. The handshake optic was to impress us in the Irish Republic because the Irish public regarded him and adams as "churlish" for not attending any of the official ceremonies on the State visit last year. The Ira having killed some members of my family, I could never shake any of their hands or acknowlege them in any way. Anyway, the aim of a United Ireland is a long way away.

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