to wonder why I can't find a thread about the Irish President's State Visit to Britain?

[ThisLittlePiggyStayedHome]

Irish President Michael D. Higgins has been hosted by Queen Elizabeth for the past two days, and the news coverage here (in Ireland) is as extensive as it was when the British Queen made her official visit to Ireland in 2011. There were moving and impressive speeches made by both Michael D and the Queen, centred on reconciliation from the centuries of conflict between our two islands, acknowledgments of work still to be done in healing the pain inflicted by colonialism, and by terrorism on both sides, and warm words about the enormous contribution that Irish people (both emigrants and those of Irish descent) have made to British life. Particularly significant moments included President Higgins pausing to pay his respects at a memorial to Lord Mountbatten, Queen Elizabeth expressing her desire for the Royal Family to stand side by side with the Irish President in commemorating the 2016 centenary of the Easter Rising, and Martin McGuinness participating in a toast to the Queen in his capacity as Deputy First Minister of the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Where I live in Ireland (not in the North), this has been the main topic of workplace / bus stop / school gates conversation, with everyone I’ve spoken to agreeing that it’s another incredible step forward and a welcome confidence-booster in the potential for lasting peace in Northern Ireland in particular.

Yet here on Mumsnet, which I tend to think of as my window into the workplace / bus stop / school gates conversation of Britain, I’ve seen no mention of the State Visit at all.

So I’m curious – do you think Irish people on the whole feel more in tune with or invested in Anglo-Irish relations and the situation in NI than people in Britain tend to? Or is there a lot of interest in the situation over there, but it just isn’t apparent by browsing MN for some reason?

If you're looking on AIBU then it's not surprising at all. YABU for not posting this in the news section as that's where people chat about stuff in the news.
In general only contentious stuff is on mumsnet. "Isn't it nice the Eire president has gone to England?" isn't likely to get many people saying "ooh I think it's awful, leave the bastard"

It hasn't had a huge amount of coverage over here (yet). I think the combination of Peaches Geldolf's death, royal visit to NZ and Maria Miller have pushed it down the priority list.

I love Michael D! Love him - really glad he is our President.

Both Sinn Fein and the British government have offered apologies for atrocities and murders committed during the Troubles. Unclear how one side can be judged more hardly or more sympathetically than the other.

There was a lot live on Sky News last night. I watched the speeches at the state dinner (saw Terry Wogan and Daniel Day Lewis seated at the table).

I also went to watch the carriage procession yesterday in Windsor.

I just feel sorry for Victor Barker. His poor son from Windsor and having to see the Queen shake hands with those people on his home ground must have really stuck the knife in.

Yes. Yabu, what's to discuss?

Michael D is not a bumbling twit! Whoever said that is just displaying their ignorance. Incidentally, I heard recently that he had quite a colourful 1970s.

On SF and sorry, there was also a big debate in 2012 headed by the chairman of the party which attempted to deal with some of these issues. Of course, it's all tied up with the dealing with the past question, and the British state is just as unwilling to uncover all of it as any of the paramilitary groups.

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2599687/Irish-President-arrives-Britain-historic-state-visit.html

This was the only story related to the visit I had any discussion about with other mums. Poor poor man. A father who can't forgive? Why should he forgive? His son was totally innocent and murdered.

Well sthubbins on the evidence of one viewing that's how he came across to me, more bumbling geology lecturer than head of state.

. In the interest of balance I'm sure he is better than Lizzie Windsor (sour faced misery thst she is) with the added advantage that you can kick him out when you've grown tired of him, fund the extravagances of his children and grandchildren or listen to their uninformed comments on architecture and organic food. Listen to decades worth of racist gaffes from his spouse.

I wonder if Phil the Greek manages to get the state visit without putting his foot in it?

In reference to apologies relating to the troubles the things that always strikes me is that you have David Cameron apologising for the actions of a previous British government, in regards to Bloody Sunday, which is great and of course what should have happened. But then you have Sin Fein politicians who are in power now, who not were responsible for direct orders given to the IRA to murder, but who in many cases give blood on their own hands, who do not stand up and make the same clear apology.

I don't know, maybe we need to wait a generation and the politicians involved to be a step removed for that to happen.

There is definitely a feeling that not all victims and their families are equal in regards to their access to justice, and I for one am quite nervous as to the outcome of the OTR debacle, and the consequences if they get it wrong.

In answer to your OP though, I wonder if people just don't see this as that much of a big deal. Obviously there are political issues, but on a social day to day level most British and Irish may just consider each other to be good friends and neighbours.