There's only been one story in the news this week, one topic of conversation wherever you go and that's
the visit of Queen Elizabeth II to Ireland. It was the first state visit by a British Monarch in a hundred years,
the first since the foundation of the Irish Republic, the first since the Peace Process.
From the moment she stepped out of the plane in an emerald green outfit, the Queen conquered the hearts
of the Irish public. She impressed them with her warmth, her stamina (after all she is an 85 year old granny),
her 'culpla focal' and most of all, by her speech at the State Banquet in Dublin Castle. And we were ever so
proud of our own President, Mary McAleese, who extended the hand of friendship to the royal visitors.
There were, of course, some protests, some scuffles and bomb scares, but the vast majority of Irish people
saw this as an important step in healing relations with our nearest neighbour.