Royal Visit to NI

His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales, accompanied by Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cornwall, arrived in Northern Ireland this afternoon and was greeted at Belfast City Airport by Dame Mary Peters DBE, Lord-Lieutenant of the County Borough of Belfast and The Rt Hon Owen Paterson MP, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.

TRH will be accompanied during their visit by the Secretary of State and his wife, the Hon Rose Paterson.

The Royal Couple have begun a series of engagements with a visit to Anglo-North Irish Fish Producers’ Organisation (ANIFPO) at Kilkeel Harbour in County Down.

Their Royal Highnesses were greeted at Kilkeel Harbour by Mr David Lindsay, The Lord Lieutenant of County Down, and went on to meet Mr Alan McCulla OBE, Chief Executive ANIFPO and Mrs Margaret More, Director, who accompanied the Royal visitors during the engagement.

  Following words of thanks from Mr McCulla, Their Royal Highnesses went on to accept an invitation to unveil a plaque to commemorate the visit.

The Royal couple were presented with gifts of a Shepherd’s Crook crafted from sheep’s horn carved into the shape of a fish, and a piece of jewellery crafted from antique recycled silver. TRH were also presented with a seafood hamper.


Their Royal Highnesses last visited Northern Ireland in February 2011.

On Arrival at Anglo-North Irish Fish Producers’ Organisation (ANIFPO) Office, Kilkeel Harbour, County Down, TRH were greeted by:

Mr David Lindsay, The Lord-Lieutenant of County Down
and went on to meet:
Councillor Geraldine Donnelly, Deputy Mayor, Newry and Mourne District Council,
Mr Thomas McCall OBE, Chief Executive, Newry and Mourne District Council,
Miss Margaret Ritchie MP MLA, Member of Parliament for South Down,
Mr Gerry Lavery, Permanent Secretary, Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD),
Dr John Speers, Director of Fisheries and Environment, Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD),
Mr Alan McCulla OBE, Chief Executive, ANIFPO,
Mrs Margaret More, Director, ANIFPO, and
Mr Dick James, Secretary/Chief Executive, Northern Ireland Fish Producers’ Organisation (NIFPO)
Gifts:
The Shepherd’s Crook was crafted by Mr Samuel Cunningham.
The jewellery was crafted by Mr John Bird.

The gifts were presented by Reece McCullough aged 11 years who attends Kilkeel Primary School and is the son of Arnold McCullough, Skipper of the “Voyager” fishing vessel; and Poppy Houston, who is 7 years old who attends Kilkeel Primary School and is the daughter of Pamela Houston, Chief Executive, Kilkeel Development Association.