During the month of May the heads of state of the United Kingdom and the United States of America will come to Ireland as guests of our country.
Some facts about the two countriesThe United Kingdom |
The United States Students could compare the two countries. What is the population? What are the three largest cities? What are the highest mountains and longest rivers in the two countries? How are the governments elected? Compare the two countries using the Encyclopaedia Britannica
Country Comparison tool.
What is a state visit?Students could ask what is so important about a state visit and how is it different from any other type of visit? The Wikipedia link above has some good general information.
President McAleese announces the visit by Queen Elizabeth IIOur president invited the Queen to visit Ireland.
What do you know about Queen Elizabeth?Queen Elizabeth IIInformation from the official website of the British monarchy. Did you know that the Queen is also the head of state of 15 Commonwealth countries that are known as Commonwealth realms?
Encyclopaedia Britannica - Queen Elizabeth IIExcellent article from the encyclopaedia (only accessible through the Schools Broadband Network).
State visits by Queen ElizabethInteresting list of countries visited formally by Queen Elizabeth. Are there any major countries missing from the list?
The House of WindsorEncyclopaedia Britannica article on the Queen's family and background. (Schools Broadband Network only.)
When was the last visit by a UK monarch?Irish Independent - Previous royal visitsThe last official visit was in July 1911 when King George V visited.
What was Dublin like in 1911?From the National Archives. Fascinating material.
Irish Times - Account of the visit of King George VTaken from the newspaper on July 12 1911. Notice the style of writing. King George started his visit on July 8th so you could browse through other parts of th eIrish Times to see how the visit was reported.
What do you know about President Obama?Encyclopaedia Britannica - Barack ObamaBasic outline about Barack Obama's life so far. (Schools Broadband Network only.)
Presidents of the United StatesBiographical notes from the official Whitehouse website. Students could explore some of the key personalities. Who was President during Ireland's Easter Rising?
A Famous Irish-American PresidentPresident John F Kennedy was one of the most well-known presidents. His visit to Ireland has been well documented. Students could research this visit - where did he go? This
Pathe News report is fantastic while this
BBC report gives a general overview.
Are you now curious about the Irish President?Áras KidsNice child-focused website explaining the role of the President. Contains a good virtual tour of Áras an Uachtaráin.