Sir, – Following the death of Queen Elizabeth, I am grateful that as a nation, we are no longer hostages of a troubled past and can mourn with our neighbours for their sad loss. We are also allowed to cherish our own memories of this monarch, one of the most precious being her spoken words in May 2011 when visiting this country, “A Uachtaráin agus a chairde”. A touching and generous act of friendship.
Many difficult issues remain to be solved between our respective states, but for today we can cease the political jousting as we send our condolences, prayers and love to a people who mourn their sovereign, and to a family who grieve for their beloved matriarch. – Yours, etc,
NEVILLE SCARGILL,
Bray,
Co Wicklow.
Sir, – It was welcome to see our foremost morning news media lead an early and very appropriate acknowledgment of the life of Queen Elizabeth II. Your supplement Queen Elizabeth 1926-2022 (September 9th), together with the early 6am start of Morning Ireland on RTÉ Radio 1, were especially notable in this regard.
Whatever one thinks of monarchy and its privileges, seldom, if ever, has anyone lived up to a commitment to serve with such extraordinary attention and dedication, and under such intense scrutiny, as Queen Elizabeth II. – Yours, etc,
MICHAEL GANNON,
Kilkenny.
Sir, – “When, two days previously, the news of the approaching end had been made public, astonished grief had swept the country. It appeared as if some monstrous reversal of the course of nature was about to take place. The vast majority of her subjects had never known a time when Queen Victoria had not been reigning over them. She had become an indissoluble part of their whole scheme of things, and that they were about to lose her appeared a scarcely possible thought” ( Lytton Strachey, Queen Victoria, 1921).
Queen Elizabeth II, too, had become an “indissoluble part” of the British scheme of things and, like after Queen Victoria, her passing will inevitably loosen the ties that bind the United Kingdom together. – Yours, etc,
IAN D’ALTON,
Naas,
Co Kildare.
A chara, – For Irish citizens living in the UK, sharing condolences with the family of the recently deceased Queen Elizabeth is the least we can do. Many of our friends and relatives are monarchists. We share their admiration for a woman who genuinely believed in people and the value of public service. We know full well that she has done much to heal the differences between our nations.
We realise that there will be few heads of state now who can ever hope to match the levels of respect with which she was held globally.
When she visited Ireland in 2011, it wasn’t the set-pieces or the stage-managed gestures so much as the instinctive, generous and kind interactions she had with people that made the lasting impression.
This was a woman who believed in family, liked to share a laugh and loved horses and dogs. Most of us fit that description so it wasn’t so hard to see why those of us who got to meet her liked her.
Over her jubilee celebrations recently, I stopped off at St Bartholomew the Great church in Smithfield. I was walking along the route of the Fleet river (as I had done many times during lockdown). On that occasion, I only realised that there was a celebratory event when I entered the church, which, I might add, was open when almost everywhere else was shut during lockdown. To cut a long story short, they were selling beer. I bought one. I raised a glass to her, with the proviso that I don’t believe in God or monarchy.
I honoured the person, even though I have my doubts about the office. – Yours, etc,
KEVIN THOMAS O’CONNOR,
Stockwell,
Lambeth,
London.
Sir, – Given how chaotic it has been in recent years, it will be interesting to see the effect on British politics now that the babysitter has left the room. – Yours, etc,
BRIAN O’BRIEN,
Kinsale,
Co Cork.
A chara, – During the reign of Charles II, in 1662, a royal deer hunting park was established in Dublin. Descendants of these deer still roam the Phoenix Park today.
Let’s look forward to the positive unintended consequences of the reign of Charles III. – Is mise,
DERMOT O’ROURKE,
Lucan,
Co Dublin.
Sir, – I’m sure, like me, there are many people in Ireland who are truly saddened by the death of Queen Elizabeth II. Her 70 years of dedication and commitment in serving as monarch of Great Britain and the Commonwealth are truly extraordinary, despite her life of privilege. – Yours, etc,
DEE DELANY,
Raheny,
Dublin 5.
Sir, – She made it look easy. It was far from easy. In Ireland, republican and all as we are, we referred to her casually as “the Queen”. A wise, tough and mischievous soul.
Monarchy is an anachronistic spectacle intensely attended by equerries, hangers-on and the British press.
These “royals” are prisoners in the biggest reality TV show on Earth. It sells a lot of souvenirs and tea-towels.
But really and truly, there is no rational or sensible place for monarchy in the digitised, ultra-democratised, panoptical social-media prison we all live in now. – Yours, etc,
MICHAEL DEASY,
Bandon,
Co Cork.