Prince William's New Title, 'Baron Carrickfergus,' Offends Irish

The Irish press has picked out several references to their country in Saturday's royal wedding, from Prince William's Irish Guards uniform to the shamrocks on Kate's Alexander McQueen wedding dress, which was allegedly made using old Irish lace traditions. Most obvious of all was one of the prince's new titles, Baron Carrickfergus, which has particularly perturbed the Irish. Carrickfergus is a town in Ireland where King William III of England began his Protestant conquest of Ireland in 1689. Britain also used an historic castle in Carrickfergus as a military stronghold, armory, and prison from the late 18th century until World War II. In short, both the town and Prince William's new title are ostensibly linked to British conquest: His new title is a subtle, yet hostile hint that part of Ireland is still under British rule. At least this is the point of view argued by Irish Central, though the paper acknowledged the queen's upcoming visit to Ireland as a friendly gesture.