News is the Queen will visit the Republic of Ireland later this year. My first thoughts were that this can't be true and April 1 has snuck up on me. Then as I saw on an ITV news story that it was confirmed by Buckingham Palace that she would be visiting Dublin. I was dumbfounded as it has been 100years since a Reigning Monarch of Ireland's nearest neighbour has visited this once war ravaged country. With good reason due to the hostility towards what has been seen by many as the embodiment of British Imperialism.

The Island is home to many of my ancestors and has a special place in my interest due to this as does the happenings in many places around the world where over 99% of  the Australian population have ancestry. 

Back in 1922 my Grandfather and final ancestor to immigrate to Australia in the tailwinds of many who came here from an array of European nations, he left what was to become a divided Ireland as per the traditions of the Scotch Irish of that area when the male members of the family dwindled due to murder and deaths in war. Being one of two men of their line after the First World War, it was for my Grandfather to start a new family far away from the bloodshed of the soon to be border region of the divided Island. Unfortunately  his remaining brother left behind endured a sad life of intimidation and thuggery with one incident where the 6'5'' hulk of a man was tortured by a gang of republican thugs and forced among other things to injest petrol leaving him a shadow of a human being.

Visiting my Grand Uncle's home about 10 years ago, after hearing of what he had endured during and after the division of Ireland, I was heartened to find his cluster house mostly intact with an incredible insight into his life and character. One thing that stood out was his obvious reverence of the Monarchy with the dab and wattle walls plastered with ton out pages of the Royal family. He was a very kind but broken man according to those I met who knew him, often unable to speak due to the damage and pain he suffered from the attacks in his youth up until his death in the 70's.

My family is not alone in its experience with the violence of the shared history between Ireland and Britain. The two nations have a long and many times difficult past and the Queens visit is an extraordinary event. After all her own family had tragedies of its own in recent times with the Murder of Lord Mountbatten.

It is a testament to the remarkable ability of the Queen to do her duty as Monarch, even as she approaches her 85th birthday and 60th year in the job. For me it shows reconciliation at its best as the Queen puts out a hand of friendship, it will be up to the Irish people to accept it and move forward allowing the past to be just as it is.....the past.