MY SURREAL DAY OUT RUBBING SHOULDERS WITH THE ROYALS
AVID ROYAL-WATCHER HAD A DAY-TRIP TO REMEMBER LAST WEEK
Photos: Sheila Fitzgerald AS an avid royal-watcher for many years, I was thrilled to get the opportunity to cover the royal visit last week, and having last seen Prince Charles walk Megan Markle down the aisle of St George’s Chapel, albeit on TV, it was a fabulous and surreal experience to spend an entire day rubbing shoulders with the Prince and Camilla.
Seeing the city in almost complete lock-down with a strong Garda presence at 8am on Thursday morning was unusual, to say the least, and while media personnel attending had been pre-cleared days beforehand, we nevertheless had to go through intense security checks and a police briefing before we were issued our ‘Media Pass’ for the day. Packed lunches were provided as we were not allowed to leave the ‘security bubble’ for the entire day and were transported to the various events in a private coach.
Excitement was palpable outside the English Market as crowds gathered to catch a glimpse of the celebrity visitors.
Royal favourite Pat O’Connell, who was enjoying a mug of tea outside the market prior to their arrival, said that this was a fantastic opportunity to showcase Cork fun, character and produce.
After a whistle-stop tour of the English Market, the royal couple were treated to a civic reception at City Hall, where invited guests awaited them.
They were greeted by Mayor Tony Fitzgerald, Lady Mayoress Georgina Fitzgerald, Tánaiste Simon Coveney and Cork City Council Ann Doherty.
City Mayor Tony Fitzgerald officially welcomed the Prince and Camilla to Cork, saying that our two countries are linked by history, by the heritage we have in common, and by a strong contemporary business culture.
Tánaiste Simon Coveney then spoke on behalf of the government and said it was his great pleasure to welcome the royal couple to his home town.
“On behalf of the Irish Government I want formally extend our ‘céad míle fáilte’, a hundred thousand welcomes, to you both. Like all Cork men and women, I am very proud of this city, and I am pleased that you will get to see so many different aspects of it during your stay,” he said.
Mr Coveney remarked that Ireland’s relationship with the UK is an immensely important one. “It is a relationship that is worth a significant amount to both sides in trading terms. However, our relationship is about far more than economics. It is a relationship that is deeply personal; there are currently over 350,000 Irish-born people living in the UK, with as many as one in four claiming Irish roots, and a similarly large number of British-born people living here in Ireland. For generations, Irish and British people have moved seamlessly between our countries, and developed deep and lasting ties,” he said.
Prince Charles, addressing the 150 guests, said that he and his wife were most grateful for the warm welcome.
“You have no idea what a joy it is to myself and my wife to be back in Ireland once again,” he said. “Your kindness in inviting us to return is deeply appreciated and, as on each of our previous visits, we have been profoundly touched by the warmth of the reception we have received and we feel every single ‘céad míle fáilte’ which is so generously bestowed on visitors to this special land.
“You may possibly have begun to realise by now that Ireland is a country that my wife and I have come to love above all for the warmth and humour of its people, the richness of its culture, the vibrancy of its contemporary society and the irresistible haunting beauty of its landscape. Ireland is a country where the past informs the present but where the future is being shaped with boundless dynamism and creativity,” the Prince said.
He also remarked that it was because of these wonderful qualities that he and Camilla keep returning to Ireland to discover more special places and to meet more remarkable people. “In the past day or two we have once again been in Northern Ireland, where in Belfast, Coleraine and Omagh and in the beauty of rural Tyrone, we were enormously encouraged to see how the people of that very special part of the world are meeting the challenges of a divided past and embracing the opportunities of a shared future,” he said.
“Here in the Republic, we are thrilled to be able at last to come to Cork, which I know most of you consider the real capital of Ireland. Coming to Cork, with its proud history in maritime and trading history, gives us the opportunity to celebrate the strength of the economic and commercial relationship between our two countries, which makes such a profound difference to us both.”
Our media bus travelled next to the Maritime College of Ireland at Ringaskiddy, where the Prince was treated to a sea survival training exhibition.
The next port of call was the Naval Service HQ at Cork Harbour.
Meanwhile, the Duchess visited the National Guide Dogs Training Centre, and the couple also popped into University College Cork.
A banquet at the Crawford Art Gallery rounded off a fantastic day for Cork before the royals travelled across the border to spend a day in the Kingdom on Friday.