The conflict between England and Ireland started hundreds of years ago, and as one could easily have guessed, it was based on religious differences. No surprise there… TGO
Refer to story below. Source: Reuters
DUBLIN (Reuters) – The Irish army destroyed a makeshift bomb discovered on a bus near Dublin on Tuesday ahead of a historic visit by Britain’s Queen Elizabeth, amid the biggest security operation ever mounted by the state.
The visit, the first by a British monarch since Ireland won independence from London in 1921, is designed to show how warm neighborly relations have replaced centuries of animosity.
But the discovery of the bomb on a bus headed for Dublin, and a coded warning on Monday about a possible bomb in London, were stark reminders that a small minority remain violently opposed to continued British rule in Northern Ireland.
“These things happen when global personalities visit anywhere in the world,” Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny said.
The bomb was found in the town of Maynooth, 25 km (15 miles) from Dublin and blown up by an army bomb disposal unit in a controlled explosion, the military said. Britain’s Foreign Office said the queen’s visit would still go ahead.
Streets across the capital were sealed off, with police on almost every corner and helicopters whirring overhead.
One of the city’s main tram lines was closed after a second suspicious device was found at one of the stops. The army later said it was a hoax.
“They are dragging us into the dark ages,” said Tom O’Neill, a 34-year-old salesman on his way to work in Dublin, describing those who planted the bomb as a tiny minority of “oddballs.”
“There are some people in Ireland that have to get over the whole English thing,” he said.
TROUBLED PAST
Peace in Northern Ireland after decades of conflict has paved the way for the queen’s four-day stay, but there will be constant reminders of a violent past during her visit.
Her arrival coincides with the 37th anniversary of bombings in Dublin and Monaghan, the single bloodiest day in a three-decade sectarian battle over Northern Ireland.
Relatives will lay a wreath at the site of one of the bombings in Dublin shortly before Queen Elizabeth and her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, land at around 7 a.m. EDT.
Police in Northern Ireland are on full alert against attempts by dissident republicans to grab headlines during the queen’s visit. They said a bus and a van were hijacked and set on fire by armed men in Londonderry on Monday night.
The monarch’s visit is about reconciliation and emphasizing the strong bond, built on generations of Irish emigration, that existed between the two countries even before a 1998 deal brought peace to Northern Ireland.
It is estimated that nearly 1 in 10 British people have an Irish grandparent, entitling them to citizenship. Irish people are avid followers of British soccer clubs and soap operas. The nation of around 4.5 million people is the biggest overseas market for British clothing, food and drink.
The queen won’t, however, have much chance to meet ordinary Irish people. There will be no public walkabouts and onlookers will be limited to glimpses of the royal cavalcade, including an armored Land Rover, as it whizzes through a locked-down Dublin.
The threat from militant nationalist groups opposed to the peace process in Northern Ireland necessitates the arm’s length approach but also removes any potential embarrassment from a lack of large cheering crowds.
POSITIVE LIGHT
Most Irish people are impressed at the length and scope of the queen’s visit and hope it will show their country, still reeling from its banking crisis, in a more positive light.
Anglo-Irish conflict goes back centuries, marked by a bitter history of settlement by British Protestants in the mainly Catholic country.
Ireland was given self rule in a 1921 treaty and severed its last ties to the British monarchy in 1948. The north of the island remains part of the United Kingdom.
Dissident nationalists have said the queen is not welcome on Irish soil. A coded bombing warning on Monday triggered a security alert in London including the closure of The Mall, the broad avenue leading to Buckingham Palace.
Ireland is mounting its largest-ever security operation to guard the queen, using some 8,000 police and 2,000 soldiers. Aircraft will patrol the skies above her engagements and suspected dissidents have been arrested and questioned.
(Writing by Jodie Ginsberg; Additional reporting by Adrian Croft in London and Conor Humphries in Dublin; Editing by Peter Graff)
