The President of Ireland has opted to ignore Queen Elizabeth after she refused an invitation to a Northern Ireland centenary ceremony, despite the fact that she, paradoxically, has all the more cause to be unconcerned with the event.

Former DUP leader Arlene Foster was forthright in her assessment of Irish President Michael Higgins' choice to ignore the Queen.

Ms. Foster compared President Higgins to the Queen, saying that the queen set the bar high for reconciliation.

She cited the Queen's various efforts to reconcile, starting with a historic visit to Ireland in 2011. This, despite the fact that she had personally suffered at the hands of Irish terrorists."

This was a reference to the killing of Lord Mountbatten, Prince Philip's uncle, in 1979. The Queen will attend the centennial celebrations, which have been organized by Ireland's four religious leaders. Foster explained that "it was an event to reflect, to look at reconciliation, to look hopefully to the future."

She added that "right throughout this decade of the centenary, there have been a number of events that people have attended, of course famously, the Queen in 2011 went to Dublin."

Foster claimed that when the Queen was there, "she acknowledged 1916, and those who took part in the rising against the British, when her grandfather would have been monarch at the time."

She felt it was astounding given the fact that the Queen did not necessarily have a good memory of Ireland. The former DUP leader explained, "All of that despite the fact that she had suffered at the hands of Irish terrorists directly herself with the murder of Lord Mountbatten."

For Foster, as a result, the Queen can be described as having set a high bar for reconciliation and remembering the past. She views the snub as a massive mistake, and a very upsetting one. She said it's not only the unions who have expressed their disappointment. She also said that the Alliance party has asked President Obama to rethink his decision. Former Taoiseach Enda Kenny has stated that he should be present.

On his part though, Higgins probably did not mean the snub to be personal.

In a statement obtalned by RTÉ News, a spokesperson for President Higgins claimed that the leader is actually "not in a position" to attend the centenary event, and the organisers know this firsthand.

Nonetheless, the president is sending his best wishes to Britain's Queen Elizabeth. The spokesperson also claimed that President Higgins "welcomed, and continues to welcome any opportunities to meet with her majesty and members of her family." The two have already met in various occasions in the past.