Locals delighted to meet up with royalty

SOMETHING TO REMEMBER ME BY Prince Albert and his fiance Charlene Wittstock unveils a plaque at the GrΡinne Uaile Bar to mark their visit.Pic: Michael McLaughlin

Locals delighted to meet up with royalty


Anton McNulty

The build-up to Prince Albert’s visit to Newport may not have had the same sense of anticipation as that of his late mother, Grace Kelly’s visit 50 years ago, but the excitement on his arrival was no less evident.
Confirmation of the Prince’s visit to the home of his ancestors was only received the week previously and was described as a private visit, separate from his official engagements. But the short notice did not stop the people of Newport from decorating the town with the red and white of Monaco and to make the Prince feel at home.
Young and old were caught up in the excitement of the visit with locals telling stories of his mother’s visits to Newport and how she would walk through the town and have time to chat to the public.

Meeting the Kellys
Prince Albert’s visit to Newport was very much a private visit and a chance for him to meet his relatives and visit the home of his great-grandfather John Kelly without the glare and intrusion of the media. After a visit to his ancestral home in Drimurla, Prince Albert returned to Newport House for a private greeting with up to 25 other members of the Kelly clan.
Among those who were present was Tony Kelly from Cogaula, Westport who as a 23-year-old made a presentation to Princess Grace on behalf of the Kelly family on her first visit to Newport in 1961. Fifty years later Tony described the day as ‘the best day I had in a long time’ and was delighted to attend.
“I was delighted I went because I was a bit reluctant to go at first because I am getting old now but I’m glad I did. It was the best day I had in a long time and it was great to meet all my relatives,” he said.
This was the first time Tony met Prince Albert who was only a toddler in 1961 and he described him as a ‘down to earth person’ who made time for everyone  he met.
“He is a very down to earth person and very plain and ordinary. It was not formal at all and he talked to everyone in the room and was very content to be there.”
During his talk to his third cousin, he showed him a photograph taken in America of the Prince’s great-grandfather John Henry Kelly, his grandfather John ‘Jack’ Kelly and his grand-uncles.
“It has been in the house for as long as I can remember. I showed it to the Prince and he could recognise people from the photo. His grandfather was only young at the time. It was sent from the US to Ireland at the beginning of the last century and it is a lovely photograph. I don’t know if he ever saw it before.”
The excitement of the visit was shared not only by the relatives of Prince Albert and those who remembered his mother’s visits but also by the young people of the area who up until a week ago had probably never heard of Monaco or Grace Kelly.

The old schoolhouse
In Cuilmore National School close to the Kelly’s homestead in Drimrula the school archive was opened to try to find the name of John Kelly in the old roll books. Tracy Hanley, Principal of Cuilmore NS, explained that during the week the children learned more about Monaco and they did discover a John Kelly from an old roll book which they believe was the Prince’s great-grandfather.
“We did find a John Kelly from a roll book in 1879 and while we are not 100 per cent it was the John Kelly, the dates coincide and it looks genuine,” explained Tracy. “The roll books are well preserved and are wrapped in plastic to keep them dry and they are easy to read. We know he would have gone to school in Cuilmore and the name John Kelly is in black and white. During the week we learned more about John Kelly and his background and how he attended this school before going to America.”
While the Prince himself did not visit the school, a camera crew from TG4 did visit to look at the roll book and Tracy said there was great excitement among the children.
“Some of the children did meet Prince Albert in Newport House and during the week we were learning more about Prince Albert and Monaco. Before last week the kids would not have been sure who he was but there was great excitement with the visit. It is not every day a Prince comes to your village.”

A visit to the pub
On the final leg of his visit to Newport, the Prince and his fiance Charlene Wittstock were due to walk from Newport House across the bridge to the GrΡinne Uaile pub but the Mayo mist and rain put paid to any walkabout. However, it did not stop the Prince from visiting the GrΡinne Uaile for a singsong and session of music and eventhough he was scheduled to stay for 20 minutes he stayed for over an hour.
Harry McManamon, the owner of the GrΡinne Uaile explained that he was only given two days notice the Prince would be visiting sparking a royal clean-up of the pub. The Prince unveiled a plaque commemorating his visit to the GrΡinne Uaile and according to Harry he happily mingled with the people as if he was a local himself.
“My God, it was very exciting. It was a massive shock when I was told Prince Albert would be visiting but it was an absolute honour and privilege for myself and my family that he came to our place and we were over the moon. I thought he would be in and out but he stayed for nearly an hour and a half and moved around the room talking to people. He was very easy to talk to and had no problem talking to the locals and even sang a song.
“There was only about 25 people allowed into the pub during the time he was there so we had to put our regulars names in a hat and pull out who would be allowed in. There were a lot of names in the hat but it was the fairest way. Everyone was very understanding. There was great excitement around the place for the visit and this has to be good for Newport.”