Queen Elizabeth speaking Irish and what it means

Howdy folks,

As i’m writing this, you’re probably watching the various news stories that are overtaking the entire country as all of the Irish people try to comprehend that the Queen actually spoke Irish.

The Queen! Speaking Irish!

It has to be one of the most important moments in recent Irish history, so much so that I figured I had to take the opportunity to write about it here.

There’s more to the few words that the Queen than it seems. When she stood up and said “A Uachtaráin agus a chairde”, it represented a massive move away from how things had been done in the past. Over the past 50 years, we had community division, war, atrocities and all manner of things that served to divide the Irish and British people into completely opposite groups. We had “them” and “us”, with the terms changing depending on which side you stood on.

And now, we have a brand new way to look at the relations between Ireland and England.

I can’t imagine that the Queen simply decided to speak her cupla focail there and then on the spot. When I listened to her, her Irish sounded learned – it sounded like she had put serious effort into it.

Tonight, the entirety of Ireland is looking on the 85 year-old monarch in a new light.

I think the fact that both Irish and English were spoken by both Heads of State shows something, even if the Queen’s Irish was only the few words. It shows the equality which they both spoke of. The Queen was willing to learn something about our culture, however small it might seem, and apply it to our relations.

I think it makes her seem less of a far-away figure. It makes her seem less like someone who is simply talked about across the water, and more like someone who is actually interested in us, interested in our culture and what it means for Britain.

It was a very powerful show of equality.

So far, the Queen’s visit has been something to behold, something I will definitely be telling my grandchildren about many years from now. I was there when the Queen of the United Kingdom and the President of Ireland stood side by side in a completely new way. I was there when the Irish and British people found a new understanding of each other.

It’s going to be a very interesting few days.

Here is the link to the Queen’s speech, with the text in full and the video can be found on the left-hand side of the page, roughly half way down.

http://www.rte.ie/news/2011/0518/queenspeech.html

Have a look if you haven’t already. It’s something to behold. And here is the link to President McAleese’s speech, which was also something monumental.

http://www.rte.ie/news/2011/0518/mcaleesespeech.html

We’re really heading in a new direction. Let’s see what else the rest of this royal visit has to offer. The hashtag #queensvisit is still trending massively on twitter, so have a look if you’re on!

Mark Meehan, 18/05/2011