Former Irish President Mary McAleese has revealed that Queen Elizabeth II harbored a strong dislike for the hardline unionist Ian Paisley, stating the monarch "abhorred" him and his politics. McAleese shared these details in an interview on The Ireland Podcast, discussing her close bond with the late Queen.
McAleese recounted a conversation during a 1998 trip to Belgium, where she, Queen Elizabeth, and the King and Queen of Belgium were traveling together. The discussion turned to Gaelic sports, with the Queen expressing a fondness for both shinty and hurling, demonstrating a significant knowledge of the games. It was during this exchange that the topic of Ian Paisley arose.
"We also mentioned Paisley, of course, and we were talking because he, of course, was not involved," McAleese said, referring to Paisley's initial opposition to the Good Friday Agreement. "She really, she had no time for him whatsoever. She abhorred him and his politics, and he had never been very nice to her anyway."
McAleese noted Paisley's past criticisms of the Queen, including scathing remarks made when she met the Pope. Queen Paola of Belgium, unfamiliar with Paisley, asked who he was, to which Queen Elizabeth reportedly responded, "Oh, lucky you!"
Ian Paisley, the long-time leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), was a staunch critic of the peace process and the Catholic Church. Despite his opposition to power-sharing, he eventually became Northern Ireland's First Minister in 2007, forming an alliance with Sinn Féin's Martin McGuinness.
In response to McAleese's claims, a DUP spokesman stated that the late monarch would have maintained the privacy of conversations, especially with both subjects no longer alive. The spokesman questioned McAleese's motivations for making the claims decades later.
McAleese also discussed the Queen's desire to visit the Republic of Ireland, a visit that eventually took place in 2011. The former president described the visit as a "great visit" and highlighted the Queen's view of it as a pilgrimage of reconciliation and sorrow for the past. She emphasized her insistence on a full State visit, lasting at least three days, rejecting suggestions for a shorter, less formal engagement.
Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip made a historic four-day State visit to Ireland in May 2011, marking the first time a reigning British monarch had visited independent Ireland.