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The rebel county welcomes the Queen on the streets of Cork City

Sea of red as public turn out to greet Queen Elizabeth in Cork

CATHAL DERVAN,

IrishCentral.com Staff Writer

Published Friday, May 20, 2011, 5:13 PM

Updated Friday, May 20, 2011, 5:13 PM

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21 Comments

Public lining the streets of Cork

The Queen of England finally got to meet the plain people of Ireland on Friday afternoon – in the capital of the Rebel County of Cork.

The British Monarch ended her four day historic tour to Ireland with an unscheduled walkabout on the aptly named Grand Parade in the heart of Cork City.

Elizabeth II mingled with locals in a crowd estimated at 30,000 strong after a visit to the City’s English market where stallholders enthralled her with their stories, some of them fishy!

“I told her that it is nearly 30 years to the day since I got married and the last time I was this nervous was the morning of my wedding,” joked fishmonger Pat O’Connell.

“She was delighted to be here and seemed genuinely interested in what was going on in the market. She had a good look at the fish and knew what she was talking about.”

Cheered into the market by schoolchildren, the Queen then crossed the Grand Parade to chat with onlookers on her exit.

She was presented with a bouquet of flowers as the Cork crowds extended a Cead Mile Failte to the first English Monarch to visit the South of Ireland in a hundred years.

Accompanied by her husband Prince Phillip, the 85-year-old Queen then visited the Tyndall Institute at the local University College where she met the Benhaffaf twins and their parents from Cork.

The two little boys were conjoined at birth and separated by surgeons in London’s Great Ormond Street hospital last year.

Earlier on Friday, the Queen visited the Rock of Cashel and the famous Coolmore Stud owned by John Magner, both in Tipperary.

The Queen and her entourage left for London from Cork airport late on Friday afternoon.
Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny was on hand to wish the Queen a bon voyage.

His deputy Eamon Gilmore, leader of Ireland’s Labor Party, described the historic four day Royal visit as a resounding success which had helped to restore Ireland’s battered reputation to the outside world following the recent economic woes.

“This was a week in which the stories about Ireland all over the world were positive and the coverage about Ireland all over the world was huge,” said Gilmore.

“It wasn’t just in the English-speaking world. We were getting back reports from our embassies all over the world about the extent of the coverage this visit was getting.

“The stories were all positive with the sense that here is a country that is doing very well, that is coping with its difficulties. It is a good week for Ireland internationally.”

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21 Comments

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peterson | May 23, 2011, 07:00 PM EDT

A very classic Lady !!

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ScullysSoulmate | May 23, 2011, 06:39 AM EDT

WHAT A LOAD OF SHIITE some of you continue to spout! Yeah bookings are up - HELLO - it's tourist season! Jeez - and as for that "opinion poll" it was done but a "brit" leaning paper, that few real IRISH even read! Really, the ONLY TALK on the street is what a ROYAL WASTE OF MONEY the entire thing is during a time when Ireland can ill afford it. And Americano, A very positive image worldwide! Are you f-in kidding me? In fact, the brits are HATED in more countries than even america, and sadly, one of the BAD results of this visit, which I find it almost impossible to believe more politicians don't recognize, is that it has the potential of MARRING Ireland's reputation, when before the visit the Irish are one of the few peoples worldwide who are WELCOME in almost every country on the planet! Get real, travel, or at least READ, because a lot of folks who thing this was a good thing really do have their heads burried in the sand!

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TiocfaidhArmani | May 23, 2011, 06:30 AM EDT

As much as I hate Cork, they've picked the one section in a long line where there was UJ flags.

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seanomelbourne | May 23, 2011, 04:57 AM EDT

Where did you by the paper sirpeter? would love some.

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johhnyb | May 22, 2011, 07:42 AM EDT

Sirpeter. What a crass comment about Union Jack toilet paper. Anyhow the good news today: A survey this morning in the Republic showed 95% of the people thought the Royal visit a success and 82% would welcome a return visit. By the way the name 'Sirpeter' seems to recognise a British knighthood or a least a longing for one! Best wishes, John

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DanOLoingsigh | May 22, 2011, 04:55 AM EDT

Trealach – you’re pushing some dodgy statistics yourself…or are you claiming Cork has a population of over 3 million? That’s what your calculation of less than 1% equalling 30,000 means. Reported on RTE Radio this morning...Bookings at the Rock of Cashel are up 40% and Irish tourism chiefs claim the free advertising, positive coverage by foreign media far outweighs the cost of QE visit. Good news for many, bad news for the embittered few?

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sirpeter | May 21, 2011, 11:14 PM EDT

@johhnyb.I don't hate the Unionists at all.They know what they were but they have appeared to have mellowed somewhat.Well maybe more like a state of depression then mellowed since they have to sit down with Sinn Fein and listen to the Wolfe Tones being piped into every room everyday as part of the Good Friday Agreement.Somehow the Union Jack toilet paper the Unionists insisted upon doesn't have the same effect on Sinn Fein.

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americano | May 21, 2011, 09:06 PM EDT

The "Queen" has a very positive global image, in addition she is a lovely human being with a charming smile, thus there is no doubt that her visit to Ireland was viewed with interest world wide, but this was chiefly viewed as "Entertainment" and will unfortunately have little effect on Ireland's current economic downturn, The views of EU, ECB, IMF, and the Intl. money markets are based on a different strata, thus Ireland will have to suffer economically for a further few years, but will no doubt be able sort this out and stand up again Celtic Tiger wise.

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seanomelbourne | May 21, 2011, 07:51 PM EDT

Did the queen visit Ireland?

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Trealach | May 21, 2011, 06:33 PM EDT

ROFLMAO - 30,000!!? Even IF that were true, it's 0.06% of Cork's population. It's amazing how this site couldn't even get it's statistics right - according to RTE News the numbers were 10,000 - Statistics, statistics and damned liars! The visit of this old lady was nothing more than a waste of money, with people being kept either in doors or well out of sight. Other than the select few hundred, it was overall a Non-Event with absolutely no future benefits in store, either through tourism or additional Trade with England.

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barneyjo | May 21, 2011, 12:46 PM EDT

@sirpeter - more inconvenient truths?????

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johhnyb | May 21, 2011, 10:09 AM EDT

Ah sirpeter, you just can't hide that old hatred of the Unionists can you? Why don't you make the effort to get into the new millenium? Best wishes, John

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sirpeter | May 21, 2011, 09:51 AM EDT

Creakygate!! Queenstown!! Your mixing up Cork city with a certain little island in the harbour there. No! it's still called Cobh that little island. 30,000 people is that the figure? They expected double that with all the street entertainment they provided that nobody went to see. 30,000 is pretty small out of 500,000 people who were within an hours drive of her.There was more then 30,000 already in there working.But imagine if it was raining!!Even I would have felt embarrassed for her then. She got to meet some Cork kids anyway..The Dumpland kids must have looked a bit on the dangerous side,she did have good judgement there. To sum up the whole visit Creaky and I think I'm pretty accurate here.The whole event was a stressfest because it was like meeting an ex-wife and the people of Ireland heaved a sigh of relief when that plane took off.She said she had a great time and has vowed to return and I believe her.No country or people in the world can do formal and informal with such ease.We sure know how to give people a good time. I bet she does wish things were done different and alot of things not done at all as she said.Not only did her subjects take the power from the Royal family hundreds of years ago,but also her greedy subjects lost her that beautiful emerald jewel to her crown. I have no doubt she is disgusted at heart with the long dead greedy Unionist's in the North,the long dead greedy landlords and West Brits in the South and her long dead greedy British subjects who took it from her. Which category do you fit in Creaky?

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GeorgeDillon | May 21, 2011, 07:05 AM EDT

I have absolutely nothing against the Queen of England, but on a point of historical accuracy I have to correct the misnomer "rebel" Cork. Cork actually has a pretty worthless history in terms of rebellion. In 1798, when hald the country rose up, Cork stayed soporific. In the admittedly minor afairs of 1848 and 1867, not a squeak from Cork. When Dublin rose in 1916, there was some half-hearted activity in COrk, nothing that a few cops with nightsticks couldn't put down. Yes, parts of West Cork performed very creditably in the War of Independence, but Cork City was remained as docile as ever. Even in the last electyions a few months back, Cork was the only place to give the corrupt and incompetent Fianna Fail party lots of votes. Rebels my ass.

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ScullysSoulmate | May 21, 2011, 05:49 AM EDT

ellenfromcork - I think more one in the eye for Cork...and so do a LOT of others fyi - the talk on the street is not what they're portraying here that's for sure! course the Kingdom has always known who the real rebels are...and glad of it...lol.

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