The Queen's Centenary Visit to Ireland - Did we ca

In this 21^st century year of 2011, few are driven by patriotic ideals or by pure political initiatives. People are either busy searching for what little employment there is, or working harder to hang on to the job they’ve got. It seems that this is the perfect conditioning of the masses to make for a British Royal visit.

Not only is 2011 historic in that a British Monarch is visiting the Irish Republic for the first time EVER, but it is the centenary year since the last British Monarch visited what was then an occupied Ireland.

To understand why 2011 is such a perfect time for this visit, let us look at why the 1911 visit went so smoothly. 1911 was an interesting time in Dublin. By then, Royal visits were not new to the Irish. Queen Victoria had visited in 1900, the year before her death. King Edward visited in 1903. So King George’s visit in 1911 was the third royal visit in eleven years.  We had become somewhat used to the Monarch coming to survey his imperial subjects. But we must note that all of these visits stimulated debate amongst the nationalists, so it is fair to say that the Royals were not welcome by all.

1911 Dublin was the capital of British imperialism in Ireland. In fact, Dublin had acted as the central hub for conquerors since Viking times. At that time, the city had a large community of Anglo Irish Protestants who ran the economic heart of the country, dominating the native Irish Catholic class. These Catholic working classes were predominantly labourers with limited education, working for Anglo Irish employers, and probably renting their homes from Anglo Irish landlords also. To paint the reality of the situation, most struggled to find steady work at all, whilst their living conditions were extremely stark. As a result, the health conditions of the poor were appalling. But this situation wasn’t specific to Dublin. In fact, you could find similar conditions in major cities such as London and New York. Although it was reported that tenement poverty in Dublin was extreme.

The Great War was three years off, and it wasn’t even a glimmer on the horizon in 1911. The 1916 Rising was even further off in the distance. Republican energies weren’t re-ignited in the people until the 1916 leaders were executed in May of that year. Many would suggest in 1911 that the armed struggle was long dead in Ireland. The last credible efforts of a military offensive were way back in 1867 when the Fenians and the IRB came of age.

Since 1867, efforts for self-government were primarily focused on political endeavours lead by Parnell, another leader from a well-to-do background. For the most part, most of the political and militarist efforts for the betterment of the Irish people, were led by the rich and the middle classes and not by people from the masses. Many of those great leaders were not Catholic but Protestant, such as Wolfe Tone, Robert Emmet and Charles Stewart Parnell.

This concept that the Irish were always fighting with the British is somewhat of a myth. The climate was probably never quieter than in the early 20^th century.

So who were on the streets cheering for King George? Well certainly not the rich political idealists and thinkers of the time, and most definitely not the destitute of which there were many. Perhaps most of those cheering were from the Protestant middle class, and those Catholics “obliged” by employers to attend.

So what has all this to do with the Queens visit in 2011? Well, we too haven’t enjoyed as much peace time in Ireland in over 40 years. We have also hit the worst economic crisis EVER, which is certainly enough to preoccupy people. In terms of 800 years of oppression and bitterness, I think we have probably drained the tank dry.

But in terms of those who will protest at the coming of the Queen, they will be well capable of making an intelligent and legitimate argument for opposing the visit too, despite the fact that you might not agree with them. However far you distance yourself from the protesters, you should expect the Queen to be very grateful for the invitation, at least.

====================