Queen Elizabeth II began an historic four day visit to Ireland, beginning May 17th. This was the first time ever that a British monarch has set foot on Irish soil for an official visit. The Queen’s grandfather, King George V, visited Ireland officially in 1911. At the time, however, George V was also King of Ireland as well as King of Great Britain. Mindful of the highly uneasy relationship the two nations have had, the Irish authorities have ordered a massive security operation be mounted involving thousands of police to protect the British monarch and her husband, Prince Philip. It was just as well such precautions took place. On Monday, a bomb was discovered on a bus bound for Dublin, the Irish capital. During her drive the Irish president’s residence, the Queen and Prince Philip were driven through streets that were eerily empty. The streets were cleared so as to minimize the security risk to the royal visitors. In honor of her visit, the Queen, upon her arrival, wore an emerald green ensemble.
