Planning, secrecy, protocol and fun – hosting the royals

Lifestyle – It’s just a year ago since Galway was in party mode, hosting William and Kate, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. The world’s media watched on as the pair tried their skills on the GAA pitch and dropped in on a music session. A tourist boom was predicted. One week later, we entered lockdown.  BERNIE NÍ FHLATHARTA hears about the logistics and the memories of the visit.

This time last year, Galway hosted a Royal visit which attracted international publicity and was expected to lead to a bumper year for tourism in the West — but two weeks later Covid-19 stopped the world in its tracks.

The one-day visit to the city by Prince William and his wife Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, would certainly have been a boost to the whole region in other times. But that was not to be.

However, those who were involved in hosting the Royals believe the visit will bring benefits to the economy once some sort of normality returns.

The success of the occasion brings a smile to many who recall the advance phone calls, correspondence and covert meetings that it entailed, with all the principal locals pledged to secrecy!

Twelve months on, after almost a year of lockdowns and restrictions, those people who couldn’t speak in advance were delighted to share their memories.

The Head of Corporate Services, Community & Communications with Galway City Council, Gary McMahon, chuckles as he remembers the lead-up to the Royal visit. He even had a code to access any information relating to it — that’s how ‘top secret’ it was.

However, it’s not easy to keep a secret in a small city like Galway and a couple of things gave it away. The first was when a local businessman spotted a group of aides and attaches from the Palace, the Embassy and the Department of Foreign Affairs standing on the street near one of the chosen venues and quickly put two and two together!

The other hint was a memo from Gardaí to businesses about road and street closures in the city centre on that Thursday morning, which would mean there could be no deliveries, Gary recalls. Meanwhile, he was kept busy.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App

Download the Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App to access to Galway’s best-selling newspaper.

Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.

Or purchase the Digital Edition for PC, Mac or Laptop from Pagesuite  HERE.

Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.