Ireland's (Prime Minister) Taoiseach Micheal Martin looks on during a news conference at the Grand Central Hotel after speaking to Northern Ireland party leaders regarding issues surrounding the Northern Ireland protocol and power sharing impasse, in Belfast, Northern Ireland, May 20, 2022. REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne
Prime Minister Micheál Martin recalled a “crucial” 2011 visit by Queen Elizabeth, the first by a monarch since Ireland’s independence from London almost a century earlier, and said it contributed to the normalization of relations with its closest neighbor.
“On behalf of the Government of Ireland, I would like to convey my deepest sympathy to the British people on the loss of their beloved monarch, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth,” Martin said in a statement
“Her State Visit to Ireland in 2011 marked a crucial step in the normalisation of relations with our nearest neighbor. That visit was a great success, largely because of the many gracious gestures and warm remarks made by the Queen.”
