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Fermoy born Sinn Féin First Minister designate of Northern Ireland, Michelle O'Neill, greeted King Charles III when he visted Belfast on Monday.
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Concubhar Ó Liatháin
September 14 2022 05:10 PM
Northern Ireland’s First Minister designate, Fermoy-born Michelle O’Neill has been invited to attend the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II in Westminster Abbey, along with other regional UK first ministers and world leaders including US President Joe Biden, President Emmanuel Macron of France and Canadian Premier, Justin Trudeau.
The Sinn Féin deputy president was among the NI party leaders who met Queen Elizabeth’s successor, King Charles III, when he visited the Northern Ireland Parliament Buildings in Stormont near Belfast and she also attended the Service of Remembrance in memory of the queen at St. Anne’s Cathedral in Belfast.
This is a major break with republican tradition as in previous years, when the then Deputy First Minister, Mark Durkan of the SDLP, attended the funeral of Queen Elizabeth’s mother, he was criticised sharply by Sinn Féin members.
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During the 2011 State Visit of Queen Elizabeth to Ireland, all of the events were boycotted by Sinn Féin leaders and members.
The party changed its policy when the queen visited Belfast in 2014 and, on that occasion, Martin McGuinness met her, shook her hand and spent 20 minutes chatting with her.
Meanwhile, Cork County Mayor, Cllr Danny Collins spoke of his ‘mixed feelings’ – during the portion of this week’s local authority meeting dedicated to votes of condolences – when a councillor suggested that Cork County Council would express its condolences on the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
Cllr Collins interceded in the discussion when the death of the British monarch was mentioned to inform the meeting that an instruction had been issued by the Department of An Taoiseach directing local authorities to fly the national flag at half mast on the day of the queen’s funeral in London on Monday,
“I have mixed feelings,” said Cllr Collins.
However, the motion to send a letter of condolences was agreed.
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