Queen Elizabeth II embarks Tuesday on the first visit by a British monarch to the Republic of Ireland since it won independence, surrounded by a massive security operation.
In a highly charged trip aimed at reconciliation following the peace established in British-ruled Northern Ireland, the queen will undertake a historic four-day state visit to the republic. Irish security forces are on full alert for the visits of the 85-year-old monarch and US President Barack Obama in the space of a week. A 10,000-strong force will be deployed in the country’s biggest-ever security operation amid threats from dissident republican paramilitaries opposed to any official British presence on Irish soil.
