The Queen And Us

In The Queen and Us, RTE's Northern Editor, Tommie Gorman explores the importance of first official visit in the history of the state by a reigning British monarch and details why it is happening now.

The interviewees in the hour-long documentary include President Mary Mc Aleese, the British prime minister, David Cameron and the chairman of the Good Friday peace talks, Senator George Mitchell, who is the current US peace envoy in the Middle East. Other interviewees featured include Timothy Knatchbull, whose 14 year old twin brother, Nicholas and grandfather, Lord Louis Mountbatten, were among the victims of an IRA bomb off Mullaghmore,Co Sligo thirty two years ago. Timmy was rescued from the water by a Co Sligo couple Elizabeth and Richard Mountbatten on that afternoon in August 1979 and they also feature in the programme.

The hour-long documentary details the role that Dr Martin Mc Aleese, husband of the President, has played in winning the trust of former loyalist paramilitaries. An assessment of this factor and the role it has played in improving Anglo-Irish relations is given by Shaun Woodward MP, the former Northern Ireland Secretary of State.

Also during the documentary, the president of Republican Sinn Fein, Ruairi O' Bradaigh, talks about his opposition to the visit while the Co Mayo-born restaurateur, Oliver Peyton, who employs 700 people in London, explains why he believes the visit is a very good idea. Irish-born soldiers in the British Army, who are serving members of the Irish Guards regiment, also feature in the programme. During the recent Royal Wedding, the groom Prince William, who is colonel of the Irish Guards, wore their uniform during the marriage ceremony.