QUEEN ELIZABETH II has sent a message to President Mary McAleese to mark St Patrick’s Day.
The message read: “It gives me great pleasure to send Your Excellency my warmest greetings on the celebration of your National Day, together with my best wishes for the good fortune and happiness of the people of Ireland in the coming year. Elizabeth R.”
There has been continued speculation in recent years that the queen is about to pay the first official visit of a British monarch to the independent Irish state but to date the governments of Ireland and Britain have not deemed the time to be right for such a visit.
Government sources said last night that there had been no change in that position while the British embassy pointed out that messages from the queen are routinely sent to heads of state on the occasion of national days.
