The British Queen has offered her "sincere thoughts and deep sympathy" to the victims of Ireland and the UK's troubled past.
At a banquet in Dublin Castle she said with hindsight "we can all see things which we would wish had been done differently or not at all". She went on to praise the "lasting rapport" now between the countries.
An apology was not expected, BBC royal correspondent Nicholas Witchell said, but the Queen came "pretty close". The Queen said that the two countries' relationship over the centuries had "not always been straightforward" nor "entirely benign".
Meanwhile, near the castle, gardai clashed with protesters opposed to the visit.
The Queen is the first British monarch ever to visit the Republic.
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