A Loughrea man was so impressed by the State visit of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh to Ireland in May that he put pen to paper to thank her for coming here.
And William Concannon says he was more than delighted when he received a warm response from Balmoral Castle.
Mr Concannon who visits St Martin’s Day Centre in Loughrea weekly says the royal visit was a very special occasion and he was keen to express his gratitude to the Queen for the“honour” and “courtesy” she extended to the people of Ireland.
“I was prompted to put pen to paper and extend thanks to Her Majesty for the uplift it gave us all. We watched every single moment of the television coverage of this most historical visit.”
In his letter he praised her for her “encouraging conversations” and described them as uplifting.
“On behalf of the elders here at Saint Martin’s Home and Day Centre in this little town of Loughrea I wish to thank you for most cordially for the honour and courtesty of your visit to Ireland,” he wrote.
“Your presence and encouraging conversations were an uplift and a rare treat to all and so moving that words could not convey our feelings of joy and gratitude to you.”
He concluded by wishing her every blessing for the future. He says he was delighted when he received a reply.
“I was most surprised to receive a response from Balmoral Castle from a lady in waiting who wrote that ‘Letters such as yours are a source of great pleasure and encouragement to the Queen, and both she and The Duke of Edinburgh are most grateful for your thoughtfulness in writing as you did’. Everyone in St Martin’s was delighted that I received a response as I was writing on behalf of everyone here.”
Nora Callaghy, clinical nurse manager at St Martin’s Day Centre, says it was keen to celebrate the royal visit.
“We set up the television room like a cinema with the chairs circled around and everyone had a vantage point to watch every moment. We had great fun commenting on the significance of each location visited and of course the Queen’s outfits. The beverage of choice was tea and we had cupcakes every afternoon to mark the occasion.
“We have 68 clients at the day centre every week attending on different days with about 25 clients visiting every day. Our clients come from Loughrea and surrounding villages such as New Inn, Craughwell, Ardrahan, Peterswell, Kylebrack and even Athenry. The royal visit was a wonderful occasion and the visit of the Obamas the following week was an encore.”
She says the next big event in their social calendar is on September 5 when the centre’s staff and clients move to a new purpose-built premises on the grounds of St Brendan’s Community Nursing Unit in Loughrea.
“We are in the middle of choir and music practice for the Mass we are planning to mark the occasion. We always have some event under way or in planning here which is down to the energy and vibrancy of our staff and clients, including William Concannon.”
