Lise Hand: A small bow on a day of huge symbolic resonance
IT was the smallest of actions by Queen Elizabeth -- a half-bow, an incline of the head -- but its significance was immense.
For it was a gesture most Irish people never thought they'd see, the British sovereign standing in the Garden of Remembrance in Dublin paying tribute to our war dead, to the men and women who perished in the struggle for freedom against British rule.
But this turned out to be one in a series of memorable moments during four extraordinary days in May when the queen made the first state visit of a British monarch to the Irish Republic. It was a long time coming -- during her 59-year reign she had visited 134 nations, but never her country's closest neighbour. The time was never right, after 800 years of conflict peace between us came very slow indeed.
However, when the visit was finally announced, it turned out that she and her husband Prince Philip weren't just making a flying visit for a bit of drive-though symbolism and a harp-stamp on their passports.
They were coming to stay for four days, from May 17 to 20, with a packed and varied itinerary which ranged from the Guinness Storehouse to Croke Park and the Rock of Cashel.
The national mood before the royal visit was mixed; there was a level of tension over whether any of the dissident IRA groups would succeed in disrupting any of the events, and a massive security operation swung into action (it was doubly tight as Barack Obama was due in town a few days after the queen left). There was some hostility and small protests during the visit, but the main reactions beforehand were curiosity or professed indifference to it all.
But how would she behave? Would she be snooty, or would she be nervous? Would she put her royal foot in it somewhere along the way?
Or more likely, would Philip?
However, as soon as she emerged from her plane in Baldonnel just after noon on Tuesday, May 17, her intention was clear. Dressed in emerald-green coat and hat, she sported a bright smile which rarely dimmed throughout her stay.
The royal couple's first port-of-call was to President McAleese at Aras an Uachtarain, and the warm rapport between the two women was evident.
And so began a four-day odyssey during which time the queen learned more about Ireland, and the Irish learned more about themselves.
Every day brought a new first -- even the sound of the Irish Army Band playing 'God Save the Queen' in her first formal engagement in the Garden of Remembrance was something to contemplate -- and over the course of the visit, the fascination of the Irish people grew.
Being Irish of course, there were laughs to be had, and the sight of an obviously thirsty Duke of Edinburgh circling a freshly-poured pint of Guinness during their visit to the Storehouse on the second day, struck a pang of amused empathy in many spectators. But it was only 10.50am and he was clearly under orders from Herself not to take a big swally out of it, no matter how lovely it looked.
Then later that day she walked through the ghosts of our entwined past and out into the glossy green sward of Croke Park -- our sacred space, the cathedral of Irish nationalism, the scene of fierce battles with sliotars and footballs and also the site of a bloody massacre one Sunday in November 1920.
In his speech, GAA president Christy Cooney touched on the past, but reaffirmed the present. "We also know that in our shared history there have been many tragic events which have inflicted hurt on us all.
"While acknowledging the significance of the past and honouring all those that have lost their lives, including those that died in this place, the Gaelic Athletic Association has consistently supported and helped advance the peace process in Northern Ireland," he said, as the queen stood next to a carefully-burnished Sam.
That evening, 825,000 TV viewers tuned in to watch the queen make her only speech of the visit, at the state dinner in Dublin Castle. Again it was clear that much thought had gone into the queen's ensemble -- her white silk evening gown was adorned with 2,091 hand-sewn embroidered shamrocks.
And there was more -- she began her speech with five words: "A Uachtarain agus a chairde," perfectly pronounced in her crystal-cut accent. "Wow," whispered Mary McAleese beside her.
Although she displayed no show of emotion, this formal address was unexpectedly moving. She spoke of the weight of history and -- with a graceful reference to the Garden of Remembrance ceremony -- "of being able to bow to the past, but not be bound by it". At her table, a tear rolled down the face of British Prime Minister David Cameron.
A big downside of the security concerns was that the citizens had so little chance to interact with the royal couple, with all events being attended by invited guests, which meant that the queen was getting little unofficial feedback as to what we were making of her visit.
But this changed as the visit progressed, most notably when she toured the English Market in Cork.
It was the most relaxed public event of the trip, and she and Philip were snapped roaring laughing with local fishmonger Pat O'Connell; also she was able to meet the crowd gathered outside.
However, she had already received some resounding feedback the previous evening when she attended a concert in the National Convention Centre which featured acts such as The Chieftains, Westlife, 'Riverdance' and Mary Byrne.
A cheer and prolonged applause rose from the packed auditorium, and as she turned on the stage to acknowledge the noisy crowd, her face lit up.
The cheers were in appreciation of a woman who had come to make friends after so many years of estrangement; and marked the maturity of a grown-up nation determined not to be bound by the past anymore.
- Lise Hand
Irish Independent
