93 Comments

• seanomelbourne | May 27, 2011, 08:06 PM EDT

  I've had enough of your boring pro British comments go assuage your guilt somewhere else

• DanOLoingsigh | May 27, 2011, 07:44 AM EDT

  It’s the wall in that head of yours you need to worry about, cobber!!

• seanomelbourne | May 26, 2011, 06:54 PM EDT

  Sit tight on that wall Dan.

• DanOLoingsigh | May 26, 2011, 03:44 PM EDT

  Seano – you can have your version of history, and I’ll have mine… if you’re right with the ‘barrel of a gun’ solutions (your words), you can’t really complain when others took their guns out…after all you can’t make an omelette…

• DanOLoingsigh | May 26, 2011, 03:43 PM EDT

  Realist – Thanks…I think our Seano has a little egg on his face, but is too ‘hard boiled’ to agree?

• Realist | May 26, 2011, 06:02 AM EDT

  Dan: Lol....you're spot on with your critique of Sean here. The fellow can't even bring himself to admit a spelling mistake. The excuse for misusing the word "yolk" is nothing short of hilarious.

• seanomelbourne | May 25, 2011, 08:18 PM EDT

  Adams showed up at the gates on a daily basis and was refused entry the SDLP were and are a bob each party who's demise is imminent and the Unionist mantra " we will not sit down with terrorists"still resonates.In regards to the "yolk" in a previous blog I made reference to you and and egg sitting on a wall.I apologise if it went over your head with the albumen.

• DanOLoingsigh | May 25, 2011, 02:31 AM EDT

  seano – I suppose it would be nit-picking to point out that the ‘yolk’ you talk about comes in an egg….not the ‘yoke’ that connects two oxen to pull a plough!!

• DanOLoingsigh | May 25, 2011, 02:31 AM EDT

  seano – When you left these shores all those years ago, you were obviously carrying a lot of baggage, and a very large chip on your shoulders!! It was democratic parties in both parts of the island, notably the SDLP, who had to wait at the peace table while Gerry Adams and Co. talked most of his followers round to abandoning old ways…whilst GA deserves credit for this, many others played their part…but not in a ‘Seansworld’ version of recent history.

• seanomelbourne | May 24, 2011, 08:10 PM EDT

  You are nothing but a British apologist.

• seanomelbourne | May 24, 2011, 08:09 PM EDT

  If were not for Sinn Fein or the IRA there would have been no GFA,no Nationalists in power,No nationalist ministers in the government of occupied Ireland I am proud of the democratic improvements which the British and unionists were forced to accept out of the barrel of a gun And I can assure you I walk tall in that knowledge.You should be ashamed to use the Gaelic form of your name.If you had your quisling way we would be living under a British yolk shame on you.

• DanOLoingsigh | May 24, 2011, 07:44 AM EDT

  Seano – so R Nelson and P Finucane were murdered, while the FIVE victims of the Brighton bomber were merely collateral damage… sums up your anti-democratic ‘so-called’ republican take on the troubles. Whining about evil conspiracies, demanding enquiries and apologies when it suits, at the same time dismissing deaths on the other side as almost nothing. What a sad and bitter little man you have shown yourself to be.

• seanomelbourne | May 23, 2011, 07:51 PM EDT

  No Dan in good old American parlance they were collateral damage,the prime target escaped death. Fine Gael my have had some republican hugging members, you know the old mantra keep your friends close and your enemy even closer.

• cillowen | May 23, 2011, 06:22 PM EDT

  the sasanach crown's use of stolen/usurped symbols of erin are safe - and no gouging out of the harp from their UK's standards, buildings, emblems, medals ... and tapestry drapings across the commonwealth needs to be of any worry henceforth. UK is now fully whole.

• DanOLoingsigh | May 23, 2011, 09:27 AM EDT

  Seano – Your description of Garret Fitzgerald as right-wing shows how out of touch you are…GF had impeccable republican credentials, though not your favoured version of later anti-democratic ‘so-called’ republican Neanderthals. He worked hard to bring all Irish men and women together, and it was somehow fitting that he saw the culmination of his work before making his bow. What about the words of the IRA on unionists “We call the shots. We don't really give a damn what they want”…this seems to sum up your own view?

• DanOLoingsigh | May 23, 2011, 09:27 AM EDT

  Seano – I think you just outed yourself in your last post ‘justifying’ Brighton bombing, in which five people were killed.

• seanomelbourne | May 22, 2011, 08:06 PM EDT

  You love quoting Right wing Irish politicians again you have exposed your pro unionist bent(which you try to hide). I have outed you once before for your anti Irish ranting be man enough to say what you stand for.BTW Fitzgerald and his Fine Gael mates have an ingrained hate of Irish nationalism and a pro british bent,well that probably suits you convenient simple politics. To put the record straight the IRA unfortunately missed Thatcher.

• DanOLoingsigh | May 22, 2011, 04:21 AM EDT

  maireadinmelb – You really need to get out of the sun…Bobby Sands chose his own way of dying. The MPs who were actually murdered include Airey Neave MP for Abingdon, 1979, Robert Bradford MP for Belfast South 1981, and Ian Gow, MP for Eastbourne 1990; these men were murdered by your anti-democratic republican friends. Then Taoiseach Garret FitzGerald said at the time of Bradford’s murder ‘The IRA has once again shown its utter contempt for human life and for the democratic process which it has recently sought to distort for its own ends. Its true attitude to democracy and freedom was summed up in a recent statement of an IRA spokesman who, when asked about the wishes of the people in this part of the country (The North) concerning an aspect of reunification, replied, “We call the shots. We don't really give a damn what they want”. Do you still seem to hold to that IRA view; it seems to chime with your posts?

• DanOLoingsigh | May 22, 2011, 04:20 AM EDT

  Seano – You need not ‘keep’ an article, you can just ‘Google’ the key elements of the story i.e. , there you can view the article, Title ‘IRA bombing victim speaks out against Congressman Peter King’, and your shameful justification, which I will repeat ‘Parker is obviously a unionist sympathizer fraternizing with the enemy in a military establishment.’ Do your own words not demonstrate that you are an apologist for murders that fit with your anti-democratic republican agenda? Straw-clutching not required, I reckon.

• maireadinmelb | May 22, 2011, 02:28 AM EDT

  MarthaAnne - When she acknowledges the sacrifice of those who were murdered by her men under her leadership, maybe there will be some respect, ie the Member of her own parliament who was allowed to starve to death.....

• seanomelbourne | May 22, 2011, 01:04 AM EDT

  As I have not kept the article I cannot respond on a one liner,I would like you to reprint the line where I Justified the london bombing. You are clutching at straws Dan.

• DanOLoingsigh | May 21, 2011, 08:11 PM EDT

  Seano – the article on 8 Jan 2011, was titled ‘IRA bombing victim speaks out against Congressman Peter King’, about a London bombing and a line in it said "I have no problem with his support for a unified Ireland." says Parker, Your response posted on Jan 08, 2011, 06:17 PM EST ‘Parker is obviously a unionist sympathizer fraternizing with the enemy in a military establishment.’ That sounds like justification for and condoning of murder to me, or perhaps you can explain what else it means?

• seanomelbourne | May 21, 2011, 07:43 PM EDT

  Where have I condoned any murders and name any lawyer who represented unionists that were killed by nationalist. What london murders have I condoned,your clutching at straws and changing tack as you loose your argument.

• MarthaAnne | May 21, 2011, 10:26 AM EDT

  It was deeply moving when she stood with the President in the Garden of Remembrance, bowed her head out of RESPECT and REGARD for the dead men of the Easter rising and also heard the orders given and commemoration for them read in Irish. The language her family had tried to make extinct! (That was the big one for me, her listening to Irish spoken and also her bow to those who had been executed by her grandfather.) She seemed to want to show her deep respect for those who died, and for the Irish people and all that they have suffered at the hands of the Crown, including her own grandfather. I have only the deepest respect for her. She is a person of character.

• barneyjo | May 21, 2011, 07:55 AM EDT

  @daithi - I think you should keep a better eye on press coverage coming out of Northern Ireland. Word is that an enquiry into the murders of both Pat Finucane and Rosemary Nelson are in the offing. And the reason I havent posted about it, or for that matter the Omagh Bomb or anything else is that is the benefit of NOT allowing myself to be a prisoner of history. When you stand outside knocking your head off a brick wall trying to change things the only thing happens is that your head hurts; much better then to change things from within. IF the British Establishment is intent on righting wrongs in relation to its involvement in Ireland, then that will become pretty clear quite quickly. If it becomes apparent that the committment shown is only QUALIFIED, then that will prompt further revision of my views. Until then, I do not wish to see the views and attitudes of the entire Irish diaspora be guided by the lowest common denominator. In the eyes of the world, the British State has declared that it wishes to reach a better place in its relationship with the Republic of Ireland. As such Ireland has to hold Britain to that committment by matching it and indeed if possible, by surpassing it, so that in the event that the relationship falls over, then there will be no doubt where the blame for that lies!!

• citizen69 | May 21, 2011, 06:25 AM EDT

  @ancavker: Yes there are Americans like yourself who are educated about Ireland's very complex history but there are many more who know little apart from what they read on websites like this that are very much biased towards the politics of Sinn Fein republicanism. The headline on this page alone shows proof of that. A lot of Irish Americans' (many of whom have never been out of their own country) knowledge of Ireland is skewed by half-truths, propaganda & bias towards Britain. They perhaps believe that most people in Ireland hold the views of hard-line Republicanism... which they don't. The people of Ireland have overwhelmingly decided that the future of Northern Ireland should be decided peacefully by the people of the North themselves. What gives those not born here the right to demand different just because they have an Irish surname in their family tree?

• DanOLoingsigh | May 21, 2011, 04:16 AM EDT

  Seano – As I said in my last post, I tend to restrict my posts to things I know something about…I did not demean anybody, but imo, people who took a high profile in the troubles were more likely to attract attention from the other side…that’s how things were. Armchair republicans seem to have the strange notion that it was OK to kill and maim anyone they regard as a ‘legitimate target’, but wanted ‘protected status’ for others. Condoning any murder is shameful, so your condoning of some London murders as the deaths of ‘unionist sympathizers fraternizing with the enemy’ is shameful…

• seanomelbourne | May 20, 2011, 08:41 PM EDT

  R.Nelson and P Finucane were murdered by unionist agents of the crown They protected the rights of nationalist from kangaroo courts. To demean the work of Nelson and Finucane is reprehensible.BTW name lawyers who represented unionist terrorist who were murdered by nationalist.Ah!! Dan it's sometimes easy to see through the looking glass.Condoning by inference the above murders is shameful.

• DanOLoingsigh | May 20, 2011, 07:32 PM EDT

  Daithi – Unlike some, I tend to restrict my posts to things I know something about…however since you ask, I just don’t get the notion of a ‘Hierarchy of deaths’ in the Troubles. In particular, I don’t get the idea that lawyers, who by definition often represent the guilty, with the aim of getting them acquitted, and back on the streets, can expect special protection against ‘the guilty’ from the other side, who are also ‘on the street’ by reason of some other clever lawyer doing exactly the same thing…and as you say, we’ll only ever get ‘half truths’, so what’s the point?

• DaithiSuibhne | May 20, 2011, 03:55 PM EDT

  Very sad commentary when we 'Irish' are unable to come to a consensus on the 'Greater Ills' of the nation. Global debt,Moral attitudes,Ineffective politics,Royal visit, are all the things that 'Great Britain' has taught us to believe in. We haven't been united since 'Brian Boru' ousted the Vikings in 1014 AD.BTW,barneyjo-danO-GeorgeD,Why haven't I seen any comment from you on 'We may have a 'Offical Inquiry' into the murder of Pat Finucane?

• barneyjo | May 20, 2011, 02:10 PM EDT

  I was talking to someone who has a friend who was in Croke Park during the vist by the Queen and within earshot of the conversations. Evidently at one stage Christy Cooney commented to her "And you are to visit Cork of Friday Ma'am. The Queen is supposed to have said " Yes we are. DO YOU THINK THE REBEL COUNTY WILL ACHIEVE THE BACK-TO-BACK THIS YEAR?" If that is true, she is very well informed!!

• cupertino | May 20, 2011, 01:01 PM EDT

  Have the people of Ireland lost their minds? The Queen's visit cost the state 60 million Euros. I thought the country was broke! I also feel that her visit was an insult to those who sacrificed their lives for Ireland's freedom from England. The patriots hornored in the Garden of Rememberence must have felt like rising out og their graves when the Irish Military Band played " God Save The Queen" Everyone is making "nice" now but there is the little matter of a unitied Ireland still to be solved. I suppose it's going to be left to future generations to settle this matter.

• DanOLoingsigh | May 20, 2011, 11:50 AM EDT

  Rebelforce – sadly for you and many others, the visit is viewed as an enormous success in Ireland, and surprised a lot of people, myself included...tune in to RTE Radio1 Playback at 0910 Saturday and have a listen.

• Rebelforce | May 20, 2011, 11:08 AM EDT

  Correct me if I'm wrong, but I haven't heard any reference at all to Ireland's horrific Great Hunger (1845-1848)that depopulated Ireland to such extent that Ireland is probably the only country in the world that has less people today than in 1845. Atleast one million Irish are estimated to have died of starvation and disease while another two million Irish were forced into exile under British colonial administration. Can anyone imagine the Head of State of Germany visiting Israel and pointedly NOT addressing the Holocaust?

• ancavker | May 20, 2011, 10:38 AM EDT

  sparklet: Yes Americans should not be in the places we here we are, and Iraq was a disaster. Personally I think that we should tell much of the world to go scratch, until we fix our own problems. But criticizing America has become a pas time favorite for the Irish in Ireland. Of course over the years when many of us criticized the actions of the British govt in the north, and of course the inaction of the Irish govt in the north, the Irish said Americans had no right to do this, and did not understand what was going on etc. Of course the Irish fully understand what is going on in the rest of the world, and feel free to criticize America.

• ancavker | May 20, 2011, 10:33 AM EDT

  towngate: Agreed. the headline is sensational, perhaps to catch peoples attention. I think perhaps he meant that her visit was a symbolic ending of the the conflict that did in fact start 800 hundred years ago. Of course during that long period there were long stretches when the Irish could have gotten their act together, and perhaps have rid the country of English rule and all the destruction that came with it. But of course being Irish they were too busy fighting among themselves.

• ancavker | May 20, 2011, 10:28 AM EDT

  pittsburgh; One of the most infantile simplistic posts I have ever read.

• ancavker | May 20, 2011, 10:26 AM EDT

  sparklet: Actually you are wrong most informed educate Irish-Americans know exactly what is going on.In fact we know more about Irish history than many Irish people do. I have not heard any one in any Irish-American song call for an IRA song in years. Any rebel songs that might be sung form time to time, are simply that. Rebel songs that commemorate Ireland's long struggle for freedom. Irish-Americans are quite comfortable in their skin, just like our cousins in Britain, far more comfortable than many Irish people in Ireland are.

• DanOLoingsigh | May 20, 2011, 09:55 AM EDT

  Those sneaky Brits must have secretly taken over our RTE Liveline transmission, nothing but sycophantic praise and delight over this insulting trespass by Liz…and in Cork of all places…storm the studio at once and get the real Joe back…

• ScullysSoulmate | May 20, 2011, 09:27 AM EDT

  A lot of you eejits can póg mo thion. I'm Irish, and I live here, and you and the eejits on TV are completely MISREPRESENTING how the PEOPLE HERE FEEL. They are DISGUSTED AS THEY WILL SHOULD BE at the money sent on this grandiose show of stupidity spending all this money while hospitals are being closed, old people turned away, and with poverty touching virtually everyone here except perhaps the eejits who are talking to "proudly" inside the ENGLISH MARKET of how "gracious" the old biddy is. Of course she is! her hems have practically been kissed, her ass certainly has, what a friggin joke. As they said, the Irish used to EXPORT all the good stuff BECAUSE JUST LIKE KNOW THEY COULDN'T AFFORD TO EAT THE GOOD STUFF. wake up and smell your tax and benefit dollars being used as toilet paper for the "monarch" whose blood line killed you like bugs.

• Towngate | May 20, 2011, 07:16 AM EDT

  Wingeire1: and JuanMiranda you are not only rude ~ but you are so wrong! We are trying to put an end to vile hatred like you display in your comments.The Irish Republic finally became independent three years before she was Crowned so I don't see how you can blame her and the people of Northern Ireland themselves will say when they no longer want to be connected to Great Britain.Let go of your bigotry and catch up!

• maireadinmelb | May 20, 2011, 05:55 AM EDT

  Over,well thats nice, it the war is over, I suppose all the emergency and special powers legislation can be repealed. Regular courts can be reinstated and that pesky little border can just be rubbed out on all the maps!

• hancock | May 20, 2011, 05:43 AM EDT

  Yeah blame America for everything. I wish to visit thes myhtical bars where Irish Americans sob about the IRA. You Irish can sob about the queen now, maybe she'll take you back.

• Niamhaine | May 20, 2011, 04:37 AM EDT

  If the majority of the Irish people want peace and to forgive, but never forget, please let them have it. Nothing makes me angrier than to see Ugly Americans in Ireland ranting about the injustices of the past and throwing money at the radicals. It's laughable to go in an American pub and see someone screaming for a rebel song, pounding their breast and screaming/sobbing "IRA". Do you even know how to spell Ireland, let alone have visited there(outside Temple Bar and the Guinness store) or studied some of their culture? Please get over your bad-assed selves and let the native Irish work on finding peace without violence.

• Sparklet | May 20, 2011, 02:35 AM EDT

  Most Irish Americans appear to be totally out of touch with what's happening in Ireland today, and the attitude of people there. They've been away for so long that they are firmly rooted in the past and they don't realise that the Irish, in the main, aren't.

• JuanMiranda | May 20, 2011, 02:11 AM EDT

  Oh wow. So is the old German giving back the culture and lives and dignity she has worked so hard to destroy? ...and those pesky 6 counties? The only thing for which the Irish should apologise has just transpired this last week. Every Irish man and woman who did not object to the queen of England wiping her corgi shite shoes on Ireland this week should hang his/her head in shame. Those characters could, on bended knee, apologise to the Irish citizens who have objected [and who are now locked up] to this stain trespassing in Ireland again.

• Wingeire1 | May 19, 2011, 11:28 PM EDT

  Wow, Niall for a minute I thought you remembered what it means to be a Republican. Wrong again. It is not the British hatchet to bury. Has she promised to give the Occupied Six Counties back? Didn't think so....

• Pittsburghkid | May 19, 2011, 10:08 PM EDT

  Wait a minute. It all started when an Irish King Murtagh invited the English to Ireland. Of course the English have been rude guest, but it was the Irish, who invited them in the first place. Quit making victims of the Irish. I do not believe in victim. I do believe that people take advantage of other people. Fast forward 800 years, the same Irish people are free, and what do they do? Invite the EU to come in to rule them. Will the Irish ever learn? My ancester figulared this out 150 years ago, and became American.

• | May 19, 2011, 07:51 PM EDT

  Dinjoe,Ireland unfree shall never be at peace....

• OBPiper | May 19, 2011, 07:47 PM EDT

  Thank you. Namaste

• mcdolan | May 19, 2011, 07:24 PM EDT

  Your headline stinks, Niall.

• seanomelbourne | May 19, 2011, 07:05 PM EDT

  I'm disappointed in Niall's maudlin groveling,we know how the British buried the hatchet in Ireland. The Irish have nothing to apologise for.

• ScullysSoulmate | May 19, 2011, 06:08 PM EDT

  iriishgirl - I was thinking exactly the same thing - maybe they know they're about to be in a bad place again, because of their own actions, and they need more Irish to fight some other war for them...can't help but be a bit suspicious after ALL...tho I have to admit my shock at her speaking Gaelic - too bad some orangies or uvf weren't there to give her a bit of what the Irish had to suffer for so long if they spoke that magical language, huh?

• Towngate | May 19, 2011, 05:53 PM EDT

  Ancavkar: Sure we can agree to differ. No problem there. But just take another look at Niall's headline here. What WAR? What 800 year-old Conflict? There never was either; and Her Majesty certainly never made any such announcement. Even allowing for Tabloid journalism, that is stretching it a bit. Our IC Honcho man is fighting fairies! He does end bu complimenting the Queen but worries about President Obama being 'upstaged' and ends by asking: "Who would have thunk that?" Most people this side of the pond. That's who. Slainte!

• barneyjo | May 19, 2011, 05:13 PM EDT

  @Daithi et al - "Today the struggle carries on I wonder will I live so long To see the gates being opened up To a people and their freedom A people and their freedom"Daithi, the gates have been opened up; Ireland has walked through them. Shame you and others cannot see that, before its too late. You are either a prisoner of history, or a catalyst for change; you cant be both!!

• Sparklet | May 19, 2011, 04:35 PM EDT

  If anyone seriously thinks this 85 year old woman is satisfied with 800 years of rape and pillage they need a reality check. I wonder if these people feel the same when they see the American flag being burned because America is viewed round the world in exactly the same way a minority do the British, the difference being, with America it's what they're doing currently. With the Brits foolishly tagging along it has to be said.

• DaithiSuibhne | May 19, 2011, 04:13 PM EDT

  Bloody Hell it is! I guess shes satisfied with just '800 Years' of rape and pillage, so now it's time for all you Irish to say 'Please forgive us your Majesty for causing you so much 'Trouble' over the centuries.

• ancavker | May 19, 2011, 04:09 PM EDT

  towngate: I would be hard pressed to describe Niall as anti British, but we can agree to disagree. As far as the Irish in Britain, a great bunch. I have family in England and we get along great. And ironically culturally they are far more Irish than the Irish in Ireland; how ironic. And we do not get the constant anti American spiel that we do when we are in Ireland. Much friendlier bunch too. They are the plastic paddies, and we the dumb yanks.

• Kilsally | May 19, 2011, 04:00 PM EDT

  What is `the Unionist must see` meant to mean? Unionism is fully behind the peace process, Northern Ireland`s First Minister, the Northern Ireland Assembly and devolution. If the `war` ended it was in 1998 on the signing of the Good Friday Agreement or the day the IRA decomissioned their weapons and the Loyalists followed suit. The nutter below just don`t seem to realise it is not The Queen or the British Governments decision anymore -it is the people of Northern Ireland alone in a referendum that will deciide on Irish reunification which would then need a similar referendum in the South. It was set in law in 1998.

• citizen69 | May 19, 2011, 03:03 PM EDT

  Queen announces end of war??? Really Niall? I didn't know Britain & Ireland were currently at war! In fact the only people who thought Ireland was at war with Britain in the last 90 years was Sinn Fein/IRA, which is still part of the crazy imaginings of their neanderthal cousins, the republican 'dissidents'. For your information the Provisional IRA does not constitute or equate to Ireland, they have NEVER represented Ireland! The alleged 'fact' that there has been an ongoing war between these two countries that just ended yesterday will be news to most British & Irish citizens. Britain has never declared war with Ireland. This website does come off with some totally nonsense headlines and this one is up there with the best of them. Oh and why is it that the unionists in Northern Ireland must see the message that the British & Irish want no more war? It is the Republican family that need to heed this message as they are the only ones who think they are still in a war. You really do have a twisted view on Ireland Naill... maybe it's because you are so far removed, physically and factually.

• Towngate | May 19, 2011, 02:25 PM EDT

  Ancavker,I certainly did not imply that Irish-Americans are as you describe. I have many relatives and friends there and am fully aware of their love and scholarship of Irish matters. ~ ~ ~ I was commenting on Niall's undeniable anti-British stance. I just feek there would be no harm in broadening the appeal of the site if it recognised the six million Irish living in Britain. Slainte.

• ancavker | May 19, 2011, 01:30 PM EDT

  Oren: If the people in Ulster voted on reunification NOW, it would be a resounding no, and one cannot blame them given the mess the people in the south made of the place. Now once that is cleaned up and the Irish get over themselves and start rebuilding than perhaps a united Ireland can be in the future. Also remember that many in the south do not like people from the north, and they and their government did nothing for years to aid their own people.

• ancavker | May 19, 2011, 01:25 PM EDT

  towngate: Do not assume Mr. O'Dowd targets this to the Irish-American audience, as if all of us are some clueless hopeless romantics who do not know and understand Irish history. Many of us know more than most Irish people do. And we do not all sit around on bar stools in The Bronx singing Sean South.

• ancavker | May 19, 2011, 01:20 PM EDT

  mamaginty: not to beat a dead horse, but there was no vote in the north. There was an all Ireland vote and the unionists were on the losing side, and as such they wanted their own state. The problem with that was they took around 35% of the population in the north with them, who did not want to go. Had Collins lived and saw how it turned out (the boundary commission) he would not have accepted it. And in a bow to the past, the rest is history as they say.

• McNamara31 | May 19, 2011, 12:55 PM EDT

  I viewed the coverage last night. When the Queen opened with " A Uachtaráin agus a chairde " you could see the looks on those in the room; when she went on to say "bow to the past, but not be bound to it" again, I believe it again moved those in the room. It seems for the first time the Queen is making a real effort. The question is, can our acceptance of her sympathy, heal the generations of hurt, her family, has inflicted on ours?

• mamaginnty | May 19, 2011, 12:53 PM EDT

  Orentruitt, they did have a vote in the north, but the majority won, the majority being loyalists to the queen. But times they are a changing, the majority getting smaller, the minority..well more people from the south are moving up so.....

• Sparklet | May 19, 2011, 12:46 PM EDT

  Don't know what happened there ..my post should have started "There's been a lot of discussion on message boards in the UK and in the Republic.....'

• Sparklet | May 19, 2011, 12:44 PM EDT

  There's been a lot of diin the UK and in the Republic,and the popular opinion seems to be that a majority in the South don't want the North and all the problems it would bring, and in the North, since conditions for Catholics improved, they don't all want to be reunited with the South either.

• monkeyapplenerd | May 19, 2011, 12:33 PM EDT

  If the old coot thinks her visit is an end to war then she is dumber then I thought. Listen you old fool until the north is returned then there will be no peace and that's not negotiable. The politicians may kiss British ass but the people know you can't fool them they will keep on resisting British rule.

• dan Breen | May 19, 2011, 11:57 AM EDT

  What about the Finucane files ? Harrasment of Republicians . It is their country ! . It is not over, until all five thousands british troops & MI5 leave the north of Ireland, ,and only then you will have real peace. Wake up Mr.Lord O'dowd your dreaming again.

• slainte9 | May 19, 2011, 11:46 AM EDT

  The British and Irish were at war. That must come as a surprise to the European Union, which in effect reunited the Celtic Isles.

• Sparklet | May 19, 2011, 11:27 AM EDT

  Orentruitt - isn't Ulster voting for it's own future, part of the Good Friday agreement? Not sure what point you're making, because the way things are at the moment, Ulster would almost certainly vote to stay in the UK.

• Sparklet | May 19, 2011, 11:22 AM EDT

  Do you mean I've been travelling back and forth all this time, and we've been at war?? Must be the weirdest war ever where you can go in and out of Ireland/Britain without any kind of passport control, where both countries are home to millions of their opposite number.

• JBRAFTREE | May 19, 2011, 11:14 AM EDT

  Did the 'Old Girl' actually speak Irish?? What did she say? I've been back home in Chgo for a week in Galway, there were a hundred or so security people around the Dublin train station.A sucessful visit, I'm sure. Now if O'b's visit is also a sucess, maybe that will pump some euros back into their economy.

• iriishgirl | May 19, 2011, 11:00 AM EDT

  "Basically, the British have made the decision to bury the hatchet." - Really? How kind of them. And will they return all the land they stole from and/or compensate the families of evicted Irish landowners while they are at it? "After 800 years or so of intermittent warfare of the worst kind, the emissary in the shape of the queen has come to announce terms. " - Announce FAIR terms? Doubtful. Niall, your above statements are seriously laughable. Until I see Ulster united with the Republic, as mentioned by OldSarge, and/or see more respect for the Irish in the North as mentioned by OrenTruitt, I see this as another peice of journalistic literature written by an unrealistic dreamer. The British government has a history of greediness, cruelty, and arrogance all over the world. I doubt any mention of peace is meant to assist the Irish, I would think it is more likely to appease the British in hopes that our Irish countrymen will finally give up evidencing to the world how horrific the British government has been and continues to be, once and for all. I hope for peace and the unification of Ireland - but I just don't see it coming from this queen. I do hope I am the one that ends up being wrong though!!

• Towngate | May 19, 2011, 10:57 AM EDT

  NIALL, a Chara: You ask: Do I wake or dream? I would suggest 'wake'; as from your previous posts on your site you seem to have been asleep to the reality of the relationship between the ordinary people of the two islands for some time now. I won't quote chapter and verse now,but you know what I mean. It is understandable in a way as your target readership is naturally the Irish-American. I hope when you have recovered from your shock,you can begin to re-evaluate your opinions and communicate your spring awakening through the power of your site and publications. Her Majesty commended all those who worked on the Peace Processs (That's You!) and in the last four paragraphs of her speech; recognised the many mutually beneficial bonds and family ties which have existed between the two islands for many years (Thats me). Niall, I respectfully suggest it is time for you to bury the hatchet too. Slainte!

• susanna | May 19, 2011, 10:55 AM EDT

  This is truly a great historical event. I think she is getting ready to pass the torch to a new British generation, more kinder and gentler and peace loving, that is the future King William.

• mamaginnty | May 19, 2011, 10:54 AM EDT

  At it again Niall o dowd, putting words in your headlines that were never said. The queen did not mention the word..war..at anytime in her speech.

• shaunaghmairead | May 19, 2011, 10:50 AM EDT

  Would someone please pinch me so as I can make doubly certain that I'm awake? Am I hearing this news correctly? I'm 24 years young and my family have always been patriots, determined to see a once again united Ireland and the ousting of the Brits. Am I finally seeing a reunion of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland in the making, or am I just being hopeful? It's difficult for me to believe that QE II actually stood on Irish sod and announced the end of an 800 year long nightmare. Dare I say it out of glee and a little respect? (God save the Queen?) That was a wee bit painful to say, but I hope what I'm hearing and reading is truth and not fiction. As the Old Zen master said to the villagers about a young boy's lifetime of victories and defeats; "we'll see". Sábhála Dia agus na hÉireann a chosaint.

• StRoibard | May 19, 2011, 10:43 AM EDT

  God bless you, OldSarge and DanSpence for your hopefulness. And, let me say that I, too, and all for No More War. However. Isn't this just a bit like a burglar standing in your living room when you wake in the morning, saying, "Now come on lads, don't you see that I want peace now? I have this bag of your stuff here, and I seem to have trashed your entire house, but I sincerely want peace wit youse. So, whattdya say, No More War? That's good boys and girls, just smile for my camera as I take a commemorative photo for me scrap book, then I'll be on my way." THEY STILL HAVE OUR STUFF! God bless a united Ireland. May we see true restoration and reparation soon so we may have true peace with our neighbors!

• OrenTruitt | May 19, 2011, 10:39 AM EDT

  Old Horseface can speak Irish? I bet that stuck in her gob. Britain needs to allow the PEOPLE in Ulster to VOTE on reunification and abide by their will. No more violence! Let the PEOPLE decide their future with the ballot.

• Searlit | May 19, 2011, 10:38 AM EDT

  Tears came to my eyes, reading this.

• ancavker | May 19, 2011, 10:32 AM EDT

  The Queen handled herself with dignity and respect, and I was quite impressed. All and all it was quite a sight to see. Now can the parties in government including the opposition, get together and honor the men and women who made Irish sovereignty possible, by cleaning up the economic mess.

• IAPRINCESS | May 19, 2011, 10:23 AM EDT

  I pray that radical-thinking people will get this message NO MORE WAR. Three really fine words that are long in coming, but finally said. God Blesses Ireland today!

• IAPRINCESS | May 19, 2011, 10:21 AM EDT

  U oray that radical-thinking people will GET THIS MESSAGE--NO MORE WAR

• deburca | May 19, 2011, 09:57 AM EDT

  Did she really speak Irish?

• colkelley | May 19, 2011, 09:47 AM EDT

  There are and will be fanatics who call themselves the IRA whose only cause is to continue being terrorists - actually criminals who simply love killing and wounding innocent civilians. The job of the REAL IRa in the future is to hunt down and eradicate them.

• antoman | May 19, 2011, 09:44 AM EDT

  Tomorrow its the turn of the Rebel County,Cork to be visited.Bad enough when the icecream van drives into the park playing that fairground music.Tomorrow I'm going to have to put up with the sound of helicopters and P51 Mustangs wheeling about above my head.On a good note I plan to buy a big bag of sausages and rashers after she leaves the English Market.You just know they will be fresh.

• DanSpence | May 19, 2011, 09:43 AM EDT

  Well put OldSarge. I may live to see one Ireland after all.

• GraydonWilson | May 19, 2011, 09:34 AM EDT

  So, she's picking up all her toys and going home?

• carrickcourt | May 19, 2011, 09:32 AM EDT

  I loved the coverage of Liz II's visit on RTE. The Irish did a most excellent job with her visit and all the right symbols of the past were handled with respect by both "sides".

• KathyCallahan | May 19, 2011, 09:30 AM EDT

  With eyes and ears, hearts and minds wide open and awake, again

• OldSarge | May 19, 2011, 09:19 AM EDT

  My hope and prayer is that Ireland and Britain will have lasting peace and friendship. A quick reunion of Ulsters with the rest of the Republic will cement the deal.