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A CROWD OF around a thousand, some of whom queued from before 9am this morning, turned out at Trinity College this afternoon to greet the Duke and Duchess of Sussex (Harry and Meghan to you and me) as they continued their Irish visit.
The Trinity event was one of two opportunities for members of the public to to try and meet the British royals during the whistle-stop Irish visit.
The couple worked the rope line for around 20 minutes just before lunchtime, after stopping in to see the Book of Kells and greet some invited guests.
There were spectators from around the globe lined out at Library Square. Not many of them had made the trip with the sole purpose of seeing the royals, however – many of the crowd were tourists who decided to stop by at short notice.
A large number of Trinity staff also turned out to catch a glimpse – office workers said they had taken long lunch breaks and some cleaning staff lingered back after their shifts to sample the spectacle and the media scrum.
The two day visit of recently married royals is taking place “at the request” of the UK government and is, of course, taking place against a backdrop of uncertainty and concern over Brexit.
Their ‘soft diplomacy’ mission began yesterday with a visit to Government Buildings and a reception at the British ambassador’s residence attended by the likes of Ruby Walsh, Brian O’Driscoll and assorted politicians and celebrities.
They started today with a visit to the Áras – just a short trip down the main drag of the Phoenix Park from their accommodation at Farmleigh.
There they posed for photographs before signing the official visitor book.
A ‘no questions’ rule was notionally in place for the media, but Newstalk’s Henry McKean managed to shout over a question about the World Cup – asking Harry if he reckoned football would be coming home.
“Most definitely,” the royal replied.
They also visited Croke Park, where they watched GAA demonstrations and had a chance to talk to players.
At the GAA Museum they were shown several artefacts by the museum’s director, Niamh McCoy, including the Geraldine’s Club minute book from 1909 to 1915, which was kept by the club’s secretary, Michael Collins.
They were also shown a ticket stub from the Bloody Sunday match of 1920, where 14 civilians were killed by British forces.
Tourism boost
There’s a large media contingent following the couple around – with crews from as far afield as Australia documenting the visit.
Fáilte Ireland says the visit will be a boon to the tourist trade, with CEO Paul Kelly describing it as an amazing opportunity to highlight “our rich and diverse tourism industry and excellent visitor experiences to an international audience”.
“In particular, the coverage from this royal visit will provide a boost to the UK market which has been a challenge in light of Brexit. As the national development authority, Fáilte Ireland will continue to work with tourism businesses throughout the country to ensure that they can fully capitalise on the afterglow of the visit.”
The tourism body has been crunching the numbers of past visits of international VIPs.
In 2011, the visits of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth and US President Barack Obama generated at least €298 million worth of publicity through some 37,795 separate print and broadcast pieces, and resulted in an uplift in visitor numbers that year, Fáilte Ireland says.
The couple will visit the Famine memorial and EPIC, the Irish Emigration Museum, on Dublin’s Custom House Quay later this afternoon. They’ll be on a plane home this evening.
Right now, they’re at a private lunch at a pub on Camden Street. The street is closed to traffic.
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Spot on, our own antivaxxers, antivaxxers and conspiracy theorists are anti Ukraine and will have the same opinion when the warmonger Putin overthrows Moldova,
@Charles Coughlan: your comment is above and beyond dum.
@John Johnes: actually most anti science nutjobs I’ve known, watch RT news every night.
@Donal Desmond: I strongly recommend to watch documentary on Netflix “How become a tyrant” epizode 2 that will give you some idea about SH.
@Charles Coughlan: Geopolitics is not a simplistic team sport, in which you have to pick a side and blindly support them no matter what, while waving their colours to identify yourself to others as a loyal supporter.
The invasion of Ukraine is an illegal act of aggression by Putin and targeting civilians is reprehensible, but its not as simple as starting the clock from the invasion and chanting Russia bad, NATO good, its a lot more complex and long running situation that has brought us to this point, acknowledging the documented reality that nuance and bigger picture exists, is neither supporting Putin, anti Ukraine, or a conspiracy theory.
Accepting or embracing a simplistic reductive black and white narrative from any side of this situation is frankly just intellectual laziness.
@Donal Desmond: Yeah sure you know best . Go back to watching Rossiya Segodnya.
@Donal Desmond: Of course we remember. I wonder do you remember the reaction to that? The protests in nearly every major city in the world, the countries that point blank refused to support it, the embargos on French produce in the US because France wouldn’t roll in with them. Most people condemned it at the time and most still do. In the same way most people condemn this war now. It’s not an either/or situation and your whataboutry is both banal and pointless.
@artur fil: Same as watching our national broadcaster RTE. Certainly do not know best, but our own media is not shy in the propaganda game.
@Francis Devenney: I don’t remembered it exactly like that. People were against the war while we all thought it was a plot to start a war due to the terrorist attack on the twin towers and USA interests. That was until the the lies/mistake on MDW was confirmed and heavenly published by the media. Shortly after the war broke and the protest then become a small minority. With time they become nothing and after the terrorist attack in Madrid on 2004 and then in London in 2005 the protests were all forgotten and anything related to wars in the middle east was accepted by the public without questions, including the “mistake” made in Iraq.
@Francis Devenney: Whatabourty is pointless? A bit like denying the past. Most conflicts that take place relates to what happened in the past..History repeats itself. The invasion of Ukraine was wrong, but the hypocrisy of our politicians and media is comical.
@Donal Desmond: When someone says “this is bad” and someone else says “Yeah, well this other thing is bad too” what is the point of that? It doesn’t contribute at all. It is literally pointless. And as everyone knows the other thing was bad, it is the very definition of banal to make such a statement in the first place
@John Johnes: no it is not , some of them are outside the embassy purporting to be “journalists”
Watching world leaders making daily phone calls to Putin is getting embarrassing at this stage. All it serves to do is boost his ego and feelings of self importance. Like Hitler before him, once he gets what he wants, there will be a new list of contrived grievances and demands. Once again, world leaders will throw their hands up in shock horror at his duplicity.
@Paul Shepherd: What do you think is the appropriate course of action?
@Paul Shepherd: The West especially the U.S. from Vietnam to Afghanistan have learned a lesson that with all their technology wars are not easily won. Not for a second condoning the invasion of Ukraine, but like 1914 the jingoistic propaganda of all sides seem to be heading in that direction. Only difference thus time is the finger on the button. Talking is better than the alternative.
@Donal Desmond: not much point in talking to a deaf person?
@Paul Shepherd: Suppose when I replied to your comment, didn’t realise I was corresponding with the blinkered..A serious comment from you would be appreciated. Like Joe Duffy you seem to be at a loss when faced with a different viewpoint.
Like the picture. Pinnochio himself
It’s very easy to see it online now. Loads of utterly ridiculous theories and “genuine” “analysis” and understanding of the issue. And while reading through comments on FB pages of Reuters, Euronews and a few others, one can see how they try to divide us on a simple matter of unjustified military invasion and aggression on Ukraine.
How can a country with a population of 146 million people, most of whom don’t have a clue what’s going on, hold the rest of the world to ransom. The rest of the world should be ashamed allowing this to happen. So what if Putin presses the nuclear button he won’t see the next sunrise if he does and by all accounts the world is fkd anyway according to David Attenborough. So stand up for what is right, it’s time to get rid of the worlds dictators and their apologists.
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