The Queen visited the Northern Ireland city of Londonderry for the first time in nearly half a century on Thursday as part of a one-day tour of the province. The visit, which included a stop at the newly built Maydown Ebrington Centre for cross-community activities, was intended to underline steps being taken to heal rifts between the loyalist and nationalists in the troubled city.
Accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh, the monarch, dressed in a fuchsia coat and matching hat, greeted well-wishers at the centre and accepted posies from the 500-strong crowd, many of whom were schoolchildren. The last time she visited the city was during a 1953 post-coronation tour of the UK.
Inside the centre the Queen was entertained by the local Senior Citizens Harmony Choir and a group of five-year-olds who performed a number from the musical Oliver!. After a brief walkabout, she was whisked away by helicopter to her next stop, a formal luncheon at Hillsborough Castle just outside Belfast.
There, the British monarch was joined by Northern Ireland Assembly’s recently restored First Minister David Trimble, his new Deputy First Minister Mark Durkan and her host for the day, Northern Irish Secretary John Reid. The rest of the royal tour was taken up with the opening of a civic centre in nearby Lisburn and meeting with workers at Fergusons Irish Linen factory in Banbridge.
Security for the stop in Londonderry, Northern Ireland’s second city and the place where the troubles began 32 years ago, was as tight as it had been during the Queen's 1953 visit. Then, concern over the monarch's safety resulted in her having lunch on a train parked between two tunnels. Yesterday’s itinerary was kept secret, and precautions including road closures, army checkpoints and helicopter surveillance were used.
As the Queen completed her trip, which coincided with the 16th anniversary of the signing of the Anglo-Irish agreement, there were hints from the palace that next year she may make a state visit to Dublin. If she does so, it will be her first visit to the Irish Republic, and the first by a reigning British monarch in 80 years.
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
