Prince Charles meets Sinn Fein Leader Gerry Adams

Prince Charles

Prince Charles had a meeting with Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams as the heir to the throne embarked on a four-day visit to Ireland.

Adams was one of the many Irish politicians who welcomed the Prince of Wales at a reception held in his honor at the National University of Ireland Galway.

The event was historic as this was the first time a member of the British Royal Family met with a Sinn Féin leader. Martin McGuinness, Northern Ireland’s deputy prime minister, also held a meeting with the prince.

The meeting between the prince and Adams lasted for around 20 minutes. The two discussed “the need for the entire process to move forward, particularly in regard to those who have suffered, those who have been bereaved," Adams said.

Adams lamented about the violence that had happened in Ireland post-1968. However, he considered the meeting with the Prince as a work in progress towards attaining peace in the country.\

"We were of a common mind and the fact that the meeting took place, it obviously was a big thing for him to do and a big thing for us to do," Adams said.

However, the prince’s decision to meet Adams was faced by serious protest, particularly because of thethe Parachute Regiment shootings in the Ballymurphy area of west Belfast in the early 1970s.

"Sinn Féin have long supported the Ballymurphy families and will continue to do so," MP Paul Maskey said.

This was the third time that Prince Charles visited the Republic of Ireland. The first was in 1995 the next was in 2002. However, this was his first trip to the country with his wife, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall.