Drogheda: The possibility of an official visit by Queen Elizabeth to Ireland should become a matter of public debate and would be "no big deal" for the majority of Irish citizens, the Mayor of Drogheda said on Saturday.
Cllr Michael O'Dowd was speaking at a conference in Drogheda to mark the 90th anniversary of the Somme. The conference, entitled From the Boyne to the Somme, was organised by Cllr O'Dowd and supported by the Drogheda Cross Border Focus peace and reconciliation group, and the heritage section of Louth County Council,
It was time to have a public debate on a visit by the queen, Cllr O'Dowd said. "There are those who are waiting for the perfect moment when all outstanding issues will be resolved and those who believe that such a visit will be a transformational moment in our joint history. I don't share that view. There never will be a perfect time but there may not be as good a time."
The visit by a head of state of a neighbouring and friendly country should be a routine matter for a modern, 21st century republic, Cllr O'Dowd said.
However, he said the issue of the 26 Irish soldiers who were executed after being court-martialled for offences such as desertion, cowardice, and sleeping at posts should be dealt with before any visit could take place.
It was an issue that should be taken out of the political sphere and dealt with by the respective heads of state, he said.
Meanwhile, broadcaster Myles Dungan said that those Irishmen who joined the British army were predominantly the urban working and middle classes, and rural farm labourers. They joined for a variety of reasons, including the spread of anti-German propaganda, a desire on the part of the UVF to save the union, economics, peer or family pressure, or simply a spirit of adventure.