Denzil McDaniel: After centuries of enmity, how the Queen took risks in becoming a friend to Ireland

It is, therefore, worth noting that the response to the Queen’s passing was largely more respectful and dignified than it may have been some years ago.

Wholesome expression of thought wasn’t universal, of course. There will always be those who sink into the gutter, whether chanting or singing sickening lyrics or landing a low blow in the ever disgusting world of social media. There were more than just a few, to be honest, which is a real shame.

And worrying.

At a sacred time of the passing of a human being from this life, better to stay quiet than be horrible. Though that doesn’t mean there shouldn’t be room for some discussion about its implications.

As Keith Baker tweeted when the news broke last Thursday afternoon, it would bring out the best and worst in us. And so it proved.

But, in general, Ireland north and south has been mature and there was real sincerity when President Michael D Higgins described the Queen as a “remarkable friend of Ireland”.

In part this is due to changed times. But probably more so it is down to the personal and symbolic role played by the Queen in seeking to reconcile Britain and Ireland, particularly in the last decade after hundreds of years of enmity.

The outpouring of grief for the Queen among many in Northern Ireland has been very powerful really, and is indicative of the personal esteem she was held in as well as the symbolic nature of what she represents as head of their British identity.

If we’re truly to be an inclusive place, their strong feeling of identity and expression of it should be fully valued and respected.

Fermanagh has a long association with the British Royals. In the 19th century, Lady Ely was lady-in-waiting and a close friend of Queen Victoria, and when the Impartial Reporter was sent to Lady Ely from her estate in County Fermanagh it’s said that Victoria took an interest in the “little Irish newspaper".

In 2022, Lord Brookeborough was lord-in-waiting, friend and confidant to Queen Victoria’s great-great-grand daughter, Queen Elizabeth II……whose first visit to Enniskillen as a young princess to Enniskillen in the late 1940s can be seen on black and white film.

I have vague recollections as a young boy, about 1962 I think or maybe earlier, of being herded along with all the other (presumably Protestant) primary schoolchildren to line the shore when the Queen Mother toured my home town by boat around the island of Enniskillen.

And, of course, as a journalist there were many Royal visits to Fermanagh to cover, by the late Queen, the then Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana among others.

There have been numerous Royal visits over the years; but it has to be acknowledged that they meant more to one section of the community than the other, due to the nature of what the Crown represents.

The visit by the Queen to Enniskillen to mark her diamond jubilee in 2012, however, had a very different feel. It was really an iconic moment, when the Queen left St. Macartin’s Church of Ireland Cathedral after a service to cross the road a few yards and enter St. Michael’s church, the first time a British monarch had entered a Catholic church in Ireland.

It allowed me to write a headline in that week’s Impartial Reporter: “A few small steps for Ma’am, a massive stride forward.” Which, I felt, captured a moment in time in our history.

I remember the day well; I was inside St. Michael’s along with others from all sides of the community when the smiling Queen and Prince Philip came in. There was a buzz of excitement as you could imagine.

When it came to my turn, and I was introduced as the editor of The Impartial Reporter, the Queen smiled as we shook hands and said, “Ah, Impartial Reporter, is there such a thing?”

She then said that she’d noticed The Impartial Reporter name above our office as she was driven through town, which I thought was pretty sharp and certainly indicated that she paid attention to her surroundings on her many thousands of visits around the world.

There seemed that day to be a genuine warmth from everybody in Enniskillen, from whatever side, and the Royal endorsement of our good community relationships was understated but significant.

The Enniskillen day was just part of a number of contributions to reconciliation in Ireland; head bowed respectfully in the Garden of Remembrance in Dublin, she laid a wreath to acknowledge the sacrifice of those Irish who died fighting British rule.

Her visit to Dublin Castle when she began her speech in Irish was powerful, especially when she said: “We can all see things which we wish could have been done differently, or not at all.” Especially powerful perhaps in the context of the death of her cousin Lord Mountbatten, killed by the IRA at Mullaghmore.

And twice, the Queen and Martin McGuinness shook hands.

You can sense that many Unionist people in Northern Ireland are wearing their hearts on their sleeve in recent days, they’re displaying genuine affection and respect for their Queen. But does that extend to following her example in acts of friendship and reconciliation to erstwhile enemies?

One wonders if many of the people displaying their Britishness so proudly fully grasp the courage of the Queen in what she did for reconciliation.

Taking risks for peace often involves sacrifice but, after all, as it says in Matthew chapter 5: “If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even the pagans do that?”

So, at the time of her death, it’s surely important to appreciate the personal example set by the Queen in reaching out.

A world now in turmoil has changed dramatically since she came to the British throne in 1952; and Northern Ireland isn’t immune from change. It’s been a long and remarkable reign and in a very changed United Kingdom, her ability to adapt has allowed a system of constitutional monarchy which seems anachronistic in a modern world to survive.

We are truly witnessing history. It's been fascinating to watch the coverage of the machinations of how Britain moves from one monarch to another, and much of the pomp and language of formal ceremonial events seem from a bygone age.

There should be room for dissent too. For those unhappy about blanket television and media coverage or wanting to opt out of tributes, or indeed express opposition to the monarchy itself, sidelining or quashing their view seems unhealthy in a democracy.

Being arrested for holding a placard saying 'Not my king' or manhandled for expressing outrage over Prince Andrew hardly makes for a tolerant society; it highlights that earlier this year the Johnson Government passed laws strengthening police powers and restricting human rights, including the right to protest peacefully.

The time will come soon enough when the debate will rage over the desirability of a constitutional monarchy, the entitlement of it, the cost of it when people are struggling and the baggage of colonialism.

And indeed, while the new King Charles III is getting a favourable wind by the public and media now, questions over whether he can maintain the decorum and popularity of his mother and the affection in which she was held will become louder.

For now, though, the right thing to do is to remain respectful and acknowledge that after centuries of difficulties between Ireland and Britain, Queen Elizabeth played her part in trying to bring some healing.