Princess Grace Rose Garden will be beautiful addition to town
PREPARATIONS are well underway for the arrival of Prince Albert of Monaco in Drogheda later in June.
He’s attending a biodiversity conference in the Boyne Valley and then visiting a few locations. A lot of preparation has been going on behind the scenes since we revealed he was coming back in March of this year.
A visit by Princess Charlene to Our Lady of Lourdes was something we suggested, so we wait and see.
One prime event is on the Rathmullen Road and the opening of the Princess Grace Rose Garden. It will be a huge day and will honour his mother of course, Princess Grace of Monaco.
She visited Drogheda with Prince Rainier in the early 60s when they stopped off at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital.
Amongst the greeting party was a nurse, a student from Uganda, Afisa Kato who presented a bouquet to the princess.
Mrs E Gillen, President of the hospital’s ladies committee and Mrs R McCabe, secretary, also met them.
The Drogheda Brass Band played while Patrick Reilly (9) from Marsh Road and Sheila Butler (11) from Fair Street presented gifts.
The royal pair visited 25 wards and met Mrs E Hogan, mother of Sister Mary Sheila Hogan, who was on the staff.
Opening the doors for the party were David Sheehan (14), Joseph Bellew (14), Paul O’Kane (12), Brian Matthews (12) and Stephen Connolly (10).
Prior to the visit of the Monaco royals, the previous Royal visitor was the then Prince of Wales, who received the Freedom of the Borough in the late 1700s.
He later became King George IV and reigned from 1820 to 1830.