President Michael D Higgins has reflected on British-Irish relations and his hope for the future of the two countries following the death of Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday.
Speaking on RTÉ's The Late Late Show, he said that from talking to King Charles III during a recent visit to Ireland as prince, he felt that had a better understanding of the past than some current political leaders in the UK, and this was true of the queen also.
The President said the queen wanted to improve relations between British and Irish people on both islands and that she consistently aimed for peace in a way that was practical and warm.
He said that this had to be kept going into the future, but based on a conversation he had with King Charles III in Sligo, he said he believed Charles held the same view.
President Higgins expressed his deep sadness to the family of the queen, the people of Britain and the Commonwealth leaders and wished King Charles II and Queen Camilla good luck in what they are trying to do.
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Speaking about the queen's 2011 visit to Ireland, the President said it was a moment of acknowledgement of what it means to have Irish independence, describing it as "why we are here".
He said the idea of someone standing in front of those who sought independence and separation from empire was a very significant statement.
He added that this was also true when she spoke in Irish and that that as someone who speaks Irish every day, "it's a very terrible point in history when you forbid a people's language" and that the queen saw that the idea of language was just another obstacle to have gotten over.
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Despite this progress, he said that there was no point in pretending anything when it came to the past.
"Empire was empire and empire led to domination and dispossession, and dealt with the idea of colonisation and the lesser," he said.
Although during the visits of 2011 and 2014, he said there was never any doubt he and the queen were meeting as heads of state, adding that there was a respect there, and that this alone represented a significant advancement from the past.
He described her contribution over seven decades as one of having a symbolic and constitutional role, but she had the ability to talk to people, which he said aided her in her duties.
Speaking on RTÉ's @MorningIreland, President Michael D Higgins paid tribute to Queen Elizabeth II | https://t.co/Mu8yQ1KHb2 pic.twitter.com/z9T6F13j0w
— RTÉ News (@rtenews) September 9, 2022
He recalled her praising the contribution of the Irish workforce to Britain and gave credit to Irish people for "building Britain" by being involved in working on roads and in hospitals.
He said that for future relations, it was about making the best of things, but Ireland is "not required to imagine false versions of each other or of our history".
He said that it was not good enough to say that the history was complex, rather it was "bitter, vicious and terrible at times".
