ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the contentious debate that surrounded the visit of Queen Victoria to Dublin in April 1900 and the royal procession through the centre of Dublin city that marked the onset of her three-week stay in Ireland. It discusses Ireland’s contested status as imperial partner or colonial subordinate at the turn of the 20th century. Queen Victoria’s visit to Ireland at the turn of the 20th century threw into sharp relief the country’s contested colonial status. The chapter focuses on the role of procession, parading and public performances in the arena of the urban landscape in order to trace the expressions of both subaltern resistance and hegemonic power. The royal visits to Ireland at the turn of the century proved significant for a variety of reasons that relate closely to the politics of power that prevailed at this ‘contact zone’.
