KING CHARLES and wife Queen Camilla have tried their hand at playing the bodhrán while on a visit to Northern Ireland this week.
The royal pair arrived in Belfast on May 19, where they made their way to Thompson Dock – the last place the fated Titanic ship stood on dry ground before her historic maiden voyage.
There they joined performers involved in Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann, which will be held in Belfast for the first time this August.
They met with organisers and volunteers preparing to deliver the festival this summer.
Founded in 1951, the Fleadh is widely regarded as the world’s largest annual festival of traditional Irish music, song and dance, and the King and Queen got stuck in trying their hand on the traditional bodhrán instrument.
Next stop was the Titanic Distillers, housed within the restored Edwardian pumphouse that once helped launch the Titanic.
King Charles and Queen Camilla visited Northern Ireland this weekThere the royal couple met distillery staff, learnt about the whisky‑making process and took the opportunity to sample some whisky too.
Later, King Charles visited the W5 LIFE (Learning Innovation for Everyone) project – which is an initiative dedicated to helping young people achieve the skills needed to succeed in Northern Ireland’s increasingly digitalised economy.
At that point Queen Camilla visited Fane Street Primary School – whose pupils had sent her a bundle of letters inviting her to visit.
The school has 285 pupils representing 45 countries and speaking 47 different languages.
They rounded off the day at Hillsborough Castle, where they received First Minister of Northern Ireland Michelle O’Neill and deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly.
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