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Momentous visit kicks off with demonstrations in the streets

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Demonstrators clash with Irish riot police during a protest in Dublin on May 17, 2011, the first day of the Queen's four-day visit to Ireland. At least 100 protesters chanted slogans and torched the British flag.CARL DE SOUZA/AFP/Getty Images

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Protestors push a burning rubbish bin toward police lines during a demonstration against the Queen's visit. Politicians on both sides of the Irish Sea have described the four-day event as momentous.Niall Carson/AP

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Protesters demonstrate in the streets adjacent to the Garden of Remembrance, where the Queen laid a wreath. An unprecedented security operation is taking place with much of the centre of Dublin turning into a car free zone.Oli Scarff/Getty Images

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A demonstrator is arrested by Irish riot police during a protest in Dublin on May 17, 2011.CARL DE SOUZA/AFP/Getty Images

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Black balloons fly overhead as Irish President Mary McAleese and the Queen lay wreathes at the War Memorial Gardens.Chris Jackson/Getty Images

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The Queen lays a wreath in the Garden of Remembrance, a memorial to those who fought for Irish freedom, in Dublin on May 17, 2011.AP/The Associated Press

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The Queen attends a welcome ceremony at the residence of Ireland's President, Mary McAleese, in Dublin.Stefan Wermuth/REUTERS

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The Queen listens to harpist Siobhan Armstrong as she visits Trinity College in Dublin. The visit of the Queen, accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh, is the first by a monarch since 1911.John Stillwell /Getty Images

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