King Charles III will make a historic state visit to Ireland in 2027 after newly elected Irish President Catherine Connolly formally invited the monarch during her first official trip to the UK.
Colonisation, conflict and political division shaped Anglo-Irish relations for centuries, making state visits between the two nations deeply symbolic.
The invitation from President Connolly comes mere weeks after polling suggests majorities both north (63 per cent) and south (59 per cent) of the Irish border would support a United Ireland within the European Union. Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom.
King Charles will become only the second British monarch to visit Ireland since the country gained independence from the UK. His mother, Queen Elizabeth II, made history as the first during her landmark 2011 visit. President Michael D. Higgins followed with his own visit to the UK in 2014, the first by an Irish President.
“In our discussion, we were mindful of our unique relationship as close neighbours and our absolutely intertwined history,” President Connolly said of her meeting with King Charles. “We reflected on the memorable state visit of Queen Elizabeth to Ireland 15 years ago, as well as the state visit here by my predecessor, Michael D. Higgins.”
Queen Elizabeth’s four-day visit to Ireland in May 2011 was a watershed moment in Anglo-Irish relations. Her itinerary included laying a wreath for those who died for Irish independence, Trinity College and Book of Kells, Guinness Storehouse, Croke Park stadium, and a state dinner at Dublin Castle, where the Queen began her speech in Irish.
As he has just accepted, we have no details about King Charles’ itinerary.
The significance of King Charles’ state visit to the Republic of Ireland
While this will be King Charles’ first visit to Ireland as monarch, it is far from his first connection to the country. In 1995, the then-Prince of Wales became the first senior British royal to officially visit the Republic of Ireland, a trip widely described as a turning point in relations between the two nations. The then British Ambassador to Ireland, Veronica Sutherland, went so far as to say that the then-Prince “out-charmed” the Irish. He has returned numerous times as Prince, but never as King.
“Our two countries are inextricably linked on so many levels,” President Connolly said at the Irish Embassy. “[The UK] is our nearest neighbour and we share the same seas.”
She delivered her speech in both Irish and English; it is one of her determinations as President of Ireland to ensure the language is used more. “Language gives us a powerful sense of identity,” President Connolly said in her speech to the Irish Cultural Centre in London.
“For centuries, our history was one of coloniser and colonised with all of the complexity that that brings,” added President Connolly, who also emphasised the deep familial ties which both islands share.
“The decolonisation of Ireland was not only about land and law. It was also about the decolonisation of our minds. That process in itself was challenging, but has, over time, allowed us to take confidence and pride in our culture, our language and our identity.”
When did Ireland get its independence from the UK?
Like many parts of history, it’s complicated. But here’s a quick explainer from
Ireland attempted to gain its independence from the UK through warfare and diplomatic avenues for centuries. It culminated in the Irish War of Independence or Anglo-Irish War from 1919 to 1921. That ended with the Anglo-Irish Treaty, which ended British rule in the majority of the island.
However, it also split the island into two entities: the Irish Free State, which was a dominion of the Crown with the British monarch as the head of state and Northern Ireland, which was a totally separate country under the United Kingdom. It was a massive compromise, especially for those who wanted full independence and ultimately led to the short but bloody Irish Civil War between the pro and anti-Treaty sides. The Pro-Treaty side prevailed, but it led to a massive political upheaval, which is still evident today. The two current leading parties in Ireland are a coalition which were historically Pro-Treaty (Fine Gael) and Anti-Treaty (Fianna Fáil).
After the civil war, Ireland began dismantling parts of the Treaty, and in 1937, it passed a new constitution. This established the presidency and removed all mentions of British rule. When World War II broke out, Ireland exercised its independence to remain neutral (although it did support the UK and its Allies).
Ireland became an official republic in 1948 with the passing of the Republic of Ireland Act.
Will there ever be a United Ireland?
As a child who grew up in the Republic, who spent her summers visiting her grandparents in Northern Ireland, a united Ireland always felt inevitable to this writer.
The Good Friday Agreement of 1998, which ended the so-called Troubles, includes a guarantee that Northern Ireland will remain part of the United Kingdom until a majority in both the north and south of the border votes for a United Ireland in a referendum.
Every few years, a poll tells a new story. Recent polling suggests majorities both north (63 per cent) and south (59 per cent) of the border would support a united Ireland within the European Union. With Brexit, the UK left the political and economic union. However, Northern Ireland and Scotland both voted to remain.
King Charles has never commented directly on Northern Ireland or Ireland’s complete independence. In 2015, then-Prince Charles visited the site where his great-uncle, Earl Mountbatten, was assassinated by the IRA in 1979.
“Through this dreadful experience, though, I now understand in a profound way the agonies borne by so many others in these islands, of whatever faith, denomination or political tradition.”
“We all have regrets. As my mother said in Dublin Castle, ‘with the benefit of historical hindsight we can all see things which we wish had been done differently or not at all’,” Prince Charles said at the time.
Is Catherine Connolly the first woman to be President of Ireland?
President Connolly is the tenth person and third woman to be president of Ireland since the presidency was established in 1937.
President Mary Robinson was the first woman to be president. However, with three months left in her presidency, she resigned to take up the role of United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. Currently, President Robinson is Chair of The Elders; in fact, she was a founding member of the group.
President Connolly’s visit also comes as she faces international attention over the detention of her sister, Dr Margaret Connolly. Margaret was among six other Irish citizens who were aboard a flotilla delivering aid to Gaza and were intercepted and detained by Israeli forces.
“I’m very worried about her, and I’m also very concerned about her colleagues on board”, President Connolly said to The Irish Examiner.
“We will not be silent when international law is treated by those with the power to simply ignore it when they choose. We know what happens when the powerful are unconstrained,” President Connolly said in her speech at the Irish Embassy.
“Normalising war is never acceptable. Normalising slaughter is never acceptable.”
When King Charles arrives in Ireland in 2027, the visit will represent far more than royal diplomacy. For two nations whose relationship was shaped by centuries of conflict, it will be another powerful symbol of reconciliation, and of how dramatically Anglo-Irish relations have changed within a single lifetime.
