A bomb was discovered on a bus near Dublin only hours before Queen Elizabeth II was due to arrive in the Irish capital, police and army officials said.
DUBLIN — Queen Elizabeth II arrived in Ireland Tuesday for the first visit by a British monarch since Ireland won its independence. Her visit came just hours after police and army officials discovered a bomb on a bus near Dublin.
The device was found in the luggage compartment of a bus traveling on the outskirts of Maynooth in County Kildare west of Dublin, officials said.
It was found late Monday night and was made safe early Tuesday after a controlled explosion by bomb disposal experts. The bomb parts were given to the police investigators for testing.
An Irish army spokesman said it was a "viable" device, according to Britain's Press Association.
Story: How will Ireland greet Queen Elizabeth?
The army investigated a second suspicious device at a tram stop in the Inchicore section of Dublin, Sky News reported. However, this was later described as a hoax by an Irish army official.
Despite the security situation, the U.K. Foreign Office said the queen's four-day visit would continue as scheduled, NBC News reported.
It is the first visit by a British monarch to the Republic of Ireland since it won independence in 1921, and is designed to show how warm neighborly relations have replaced centuries of animosity.
But the discovery of the bomb outside Dublin, and a coded warning by IRA dissidents on Monday about a possible bomb in London , were stark reminders that a small minority remain violently opposed to continued British rule in Northern Ireland.
Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny said the threat from dissidents was minimal because of the police's extensive security arrangements.
"They've put in place a comprehensive security operation. You'll recall we've had American presidents here before, a pope," he said. "So obviously while there have been incidents, the Gardai (police) have been able to deal with those."
Some 8,500 police were lining the sections of Dublin where the queen and her husband Prince Philip plan to visit, the biggest security operation in the history of the Irish state. It will cost 26.2 million pounds ($42.6 million), The Guardian newspaper reported.
Queen to honor rebel dead
The queen headed first to the official presidential residence for a welcome by Irish President Mary McAleese, who will host many of the events set up for the queen and her husband.
"I think it is an extraordinary moment in Irish history," McAleese said earlier.
McAleese, who invited the queen, said Monday that her arrival "signals the success of the peace process" that has tamped down decades of violence in northern Ireland.
The queen is also expected to lay a wreath at Dublin's Garden of Remembrance in honor of Ireland's rebel dead, a surprisingly direct gesture toward Britain's opponents in the bloody 1919-1921 guerrilla war of independence.
The long-awaited visit is seen as a celebration of improving bonds between Britain and Ireland.
Peace in Northern Ireland has paved the way for the visit, but there will be constant reminders of a violent past.
Her arrival also coincides with the 37th anniversary of the Dublin and Monaghan bombings, the single bloodiest day in a three-decade sectarian battle over Northern Ireland, and a day still mired in controversy.
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