The Queen is expected to reflect at length on her debut trip to the Republic of Ireland during her Christmas speech, scheduled to be broadcast on December 25.
Already tourism organizations in the Republic are acknowledging the potential boost her favorable impressions of the visit will make on the international market.
The annual address, the Queen's 59th as monarch, will reportedly be dominated by her reflections of her first State visit to Ireland in May and is expected to include footage of a number of scenic landmarks she visited on her historic four-day trip.
This year, produced by the Rupert Murdoch owned Sky News for the first time, the broadcast could potentially eclipse the record 27 million viewers who tuned into the 1987 speech, thanks to a renewed interest in the monarchy after the two royal weddings held this year.
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According to the Belfast Telegraph the Queen will reportedly reflect on the warm reception she received in the Republic, which included visits to Dublin, Kildare, Tipperary, and Cork.
'It's been the best year in living memory for the Royal family, with two royal weddings, Prince Philip's 90th birthday and, not least, the historic visit to Ireland," a source told the Telegraph. 'It's no secret that the visit to Ireland meant a huge deal to her and she wants to use the speech to reflect on it publicly.
"She has so many fond memories of the year and has a wealth of stuff to choose from, but all I can say at this stage is that Ireland will feature centrally in the speech."
The Queen's own private response to the visit has been well recorded. In a letter to the Lord Mayor of Cork she recalled how she broke with royal protocol to shake hands with the Irish public who had given her an unexpectedly warm welcome, an event she described as 'deeply moving.'
In fact she has even been quoted as saying her visit — the first by a reigning British monarch in 100 years — was the highlight of her reign.
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Switch to the desktop site to post a comment.sirpeter | Dec 22, 2011, 04:16 PM EST
Unrealist.lol I'm only stating what the BBC said Tommy.I even gave you a link.Who knows why the Brits offered the loan in the first place and Ireland excepted it.Who knows what deals are going on.I'm pretty sure whatever reason you think is probably the wrong reason anyway.It's all business,nothing else.Do you not think it's pretty stupid to speculate about Ireland rejoining the Commonwealth.Not that I have anything against the Commonwealth.But how does cheap bananas help anyone?As for the records been handed over.I'm living in Cork Tommy.At the end of the day it's NI who will suffer if they cause trouble.Do you really think it will hurt me? NI might as well be a million miles away.My kids will be safe down here.Will yours?
ancavker | Dec 22, 2011, 09:57 AM EST
realist: Who say the Republic is going to rejoin the Commonwealth?? It is just a wast of tiem talk shop.
gobdawpaddy | Dec 22, 2011, 06:03 AM EST
The intelligence/imaturity level of certain posters here never ceases to amaze me. Hope they are on Santa's 'nice' list. The Beano website might be a more appropriate forum for them.
Realist | Dec 22, 2011, 05:20 AM EST
sirpeter: Ireland, junk bond status - discuss....lol.
Realist | Dec 22, 2011, 05:16 AM EST
sirpeter: Lol....dear oh dear paddy you don't know very much about your own country's economic reality do you? Are you an Irish economist? Chuckle....I will simply ask you this, why would the U.K. offer and Ireland accept a high interest loan of nearly €8 billion? By the way, I suggest you save some tears for when the Republic rejoins the Commonwealth. My my that is going to hurt worse than Boston College handing over their terrorist records to the British government (something else that would "never happen"). Cheap bananas?....lol.
sirpeter | Dec 21, 2011, 08:01 PM EST
LOL @ Northern Ireland. The British economic black hole hahahahaha.
sirpeter | Dec 21, 2011, 07:47 PM EST
LOL @ The Commonwealth HAHA..Cheap bananas for the Brits hahahaha.
sirpeter | Dec 21, 2011, 07:25 PM EST
Unrealist.For your information the Brits and the Irish owe each other approximately the same amount of debt.But guess what?? The UK owes Ireland €113.5 billion and we owe the UK €104.5 Billion.(BBC Eurozone debt web:Who owes what to whom?)Do you ever get anything right?haha..That's right Tommy we are laughing all the way to the bank.
ciaradexy | Dec 21, 2011, 06:32 PM EST
Realist-We havent started paying them back and it looks like we wont for some time plus theyre heading into a recession so no one is laughing.
Realist | Dec 21, 2011, 05:55 PM EST
sirpeter: Yes, the Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, the Commonwealth, Northern Ireland (of course), and €7 billion of Irish debt. I quote from one of your own newspapers, "....keep making those interest payments paddy, there's a good chap...." I'm glad you find it funny....Irish jokes are always the best and the British are laughing all the way to the bank....lol.
sirpeter | Dec 21, 2011, 05:17 PM EST
@antoman.That's the job.lol
ciaradexy | Dec 21, 2011, 01:50 PM EST
Come back Lizzy and meet more of us! we are sound!
antoman | Dec 21, 2011, 12:50 PM EST
I suppose whatever She says will be posted on this site? I'll most likely be drunk or getting laid when she says it.
sirpeter | Dec 21, 2011, 11:43 AM EST
The old British monarchy.They were never the same after we gave them the boot.It was all downhill with the empire after that.Well at least they still have the Falkland islands and the Rock of Gibraltar.
SeamusMartin | Dec 21, 2011, 11:29 AM EST
Peace and goodwill to all peoples. Bless the Queen with her fond memories of the Republic. May she rule England the rest of her years in good health and happiness and may she and ireland be BFFL!
sirpeter | Dec 21, 2011, 11:28 AM EST
Hmmmm.Towngate appears to be on the IC missing list.But I can just see him weeping with joy into his plumb pudding Christmas Day as he listens to Lizzy mention her visit to Ireland.He'll be fierce emotional ;))
IrelandNorth | Dec 21, 2011, 09:49 AM EST
"And I cordially invite my loyal and faithful Irish subjects to rejoin me in my incredibly shrinking realm, with those cross-dressing kilt-weareres in the north of my Great Britain, and those leakey Welsh hill-yodling miners, threatening to abscond. And the Aussies. Anus horibilis!"
GeorgeDillon | Dec 21, 2011, 09:44 AM EST
The queen is going to mention the Irish! Oh, the Irish will be so proud.
CitizenWhy | Dec 21, 2011, 09:39 AM EST
I'm waiting for her to wear a leprechaun costume to delight all Irish-Americans.