Friday, May 20, 2011

Elizabeth II, with the Irish thoroughbred

Verglas and was called one of the best thoroughbred of his time. Withdrawn from the race tracks for years, lived in the Irish town of Kildare and collected a $ 10,000 stallion service. However, Isabel II could not see it on Thursday during his visit to the National Stud. Verglas died just two days ago.

Just before the visit of His Majesty. Today's schedule appears too nice for the Queen. And not just because the program does not include any political event. Also because Elizabeth II spends much of day one of his passions: horse racing. First he visited the National Stud in Kildare, where he discovered a sculpture and has seen a display.

Then come near Kilcullen private stables where he had lunch with her owner the Aga Khan and fulfill the dream of a 'Sea The Stars', one of the most famous thoroughbreds of all time. Equine dimension of the visit is no accident. And not just the Queen's passion for the racetrack. Also because the love of horses is an essential part of the common history of the United Kingdom and Ireland.

This is demonstrated every day hundreds of riders and horses competing equally in the two countries. Elizabeth II will return this afternoon to Dublin to attend an informal reception which will include performances by various ensembles. Among them, the 'Chieftains' and 'Westlife'. Morning to visit various parts of Cork and Tipperary and will end the visit.

The general impression is that the trip is already a success for the two governments. First, because the protests have been negligible and because there has been no terrorist attack. And then because people have welcomed the gesture and the words of Elizabeth II with sincere joy, conscious of their political and historical significance.

The highlight of the trip came last night and was an unexpected moment, almost magical. Occurred in one of the halls of Dublin Castle where the Queen unfolded her speech and spoke his first words: five words in Gaelic that sparked a spontaneous ovation from the audience and offered yet another metaphor for reconciliation.

The Irish looked forward to the speech of Isabel II. And not just because it is the only one who will give the monarch on his tour of Ireland. Also because they expected an apology or at least an acknowledgment of past mistakes in the British colonial island. The Queen did not disappoint.

Expressed its unequivocal support to the peace process in Ulster and won over his audience with these words: "It's a sad and unfortunate reality that throughout history our islands have experienced too much pain, turmoil and loss. These events have touched us all, many of us personally, and are a painful legacy.

We can never forget those who have died or their families. So I extend my sympathy and my thoughts to those who have suffered as a result of our turbulent past. In hindsight we all see that we would have done things differently or we would not have done. "Saying that the historic problems had been touched personally, the Queen was thinking of his uncle Louis Mountbatten, whom the IRA murdered in 1979 .

But also in Ulster violence that has overshadowed much of his reign. His words were spoken in Dublin Castle, which for many years was the symbol of colonial oppression. And in his table sat David Cameron and Nobel Prize-winning poet Seamus Heaney. The Queen acknowledged the work of the architects of peace in Ulster.

Some present last night as the 'premier' Unionist Peter Robinson or the Redemptorist priest Alec Reid. "I am proud of this island are the peacemakers" said the Queen, "who, having experienced firsthand the toxic harvest that comes from not solve old hatreds and political differences, they avoided the perennial culture of conflict and committed enough to be born a different future." Next to him was Irish President Mary McAleese, without whose efforts this trip would not have been possible.

McAleese thanked his gestures to the queen and beautifully expressed the sense of the moment: "Tonight we celebrate a new chapter in our relationship. This visit is a formal recognition of what for many years has been the reality that Ireland and the UK are neighbors, peers, colleagues and friends.

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