On September 8th, it was announced that the Queen of England, after seventy years of rule, had passed away. Her death has sparked a global period of mourning, since she was an influential woman. But for some, the feelings caused by her departure are complicated.
It is no secret that Great Britain has had a rocky history with its neighbor Ireland. British rule has affected Ireland since the 1600s, with figures such as Oliver Cromwell and King Charles II enforcing policies that tore apart Irish society and culture. Throughout history, Imperial Britain separated their colonies, India, Pakistan and Northern Ireland, which caused generations of conflict. Throughout the 1960s-1990s, The Troubles, a nationalistic conflict in Ireland, took place under her reign. Since then the Queen has worked to make amends with Ireland by visiting the country and speaking to its officials.
After hearing of her death, Ireland, along with the rest of the world, went into mourning. The Irish flag at government buildings was lowered to half-mast, and several politicians have sent their condolences. However, not all public reactions have been so pleasant. Recently a video has surfaced of a stadium full of Irish fans, all chanting in unison, “Lizzy’s in a box!” The footage came from a football match on the evening of the Queen’s death and has since grown in popularity, raising the question on the morality of the Irish’s reaction.
Naturally many Brits were angered by this response and appalled at the lack of sympathy in a dark hour for the country. One of the Brits’ hopes is for the two countries to put their conflicting pasts aside for now. While in the past few weeks more people are recognizing the faults of the British monarchy (colonization and elitism), the reaction of the Irish community was reasonably too soon. Many agree that the backlash was unacceptable due to the Queen’s efforts to mend the two countries' wounds.
Now that the United Kingdom has entered a new era with Elizabeth’s son Charles III on the throne, there is the hope that he will honor her legacy and continue to strengthen their bond with Ireland. This will show that the British Isles and their people can be accepting, tolerant, and grow.
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