London ( CNN ) -- Queen Elizabeth 's jubilee tour strikes an historic note today , when the British monarch visits Northern Ireland on a trip it is hoped will mark a symbolic end to the decades-long conflict there . She 's been to the province almost every year over the last decade . But this visit is especially significant as it follows her tour of the Republic of Ireland last year . It was the first visit by a British head of state since Ireland 's independence , and at the time , British Prime Minister David Cameron described it as a game-changer . As head of state of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland , the queen has a purely symbolic role . But her influence - after six decades on the throne - is palpable . And her ability to mark an historic turning point unquestioned . Despite the passing of 15 years since the signing of the Good Friday Agreement , resentment among Ireland 's Catholics - both North and South - has lingered over the wrongs committed during British rule . Queen arrives in Northern Ireland . But the queen 's visit last year helped to heal some of those wounds . In Dublin she visited Croke Park , where British forces killed Irish civilians at a Gaelic football match in 1920 , on what became known as Bloody Sunday . At a state dinner the same day , there were gasps as she spoke in Gaelic . The Irish president was seen mouthing the word 'wow ' and commentators declared the speech historic . The queen managed subtly to set the tone of a visiting head of state as opposed to a ruling one . The image was powerful and cathartic for those still bitter towards Britain . `` It is a sad and regrettable reality that through history our islands have experienced more than their fair share of heartache , turbulence and loss , '' she said . In Northern Ireland , the queen has the chance to make history again -- but this time it is personal . The queen 's cousin , Louis Mountbatten , was assassinated by the Provisional IRA ( Irish Republican Army ) in 1979 , using a bomb planted in his fishing boat . Three others died in the same explosion . The queen was devastated : Mountbatten had introduced her to his nephew , Prince Philip , during her teens ; the pair went on to marry and have four children . After decades of struggle , key Republicans in Northern Ireland are ready to have their symbolic moment of peace with the `` Queen of England , '' as they call her . Sinn Fein has decided that Republican icon and Northern Ireland 's Deputy First Minister , Martin McGuinness , should shake hands with the queen in front of the cameras . McGuinness is a former IRA commander . What makes this simple handshake even more poignant is that the queen is not just representing the UK , she 's also representing the victims of the sectarian conflict . As someone who lost a loved one in an IRA attack , she is one herself . With a simple gesture , a victim and a former man of violence will put their personal feelings aside in the name of duty , and in the name of peace .
Britain 's Queen Elizabeth visiting Northern Ireland on jubilee tour . Comment: Meeting a symbolic moment of peace between two sides of sectarian divide . Queen 's cousin , Lord Louis Mountbatten , was assassinated by the IRA in 1979 .