On one of her last official duties as Uachtarán na hÉireann, Mary McAleese visited the Irish Naval Service in Cork. She was welcomed outside the National Maritime College of Ireland in Ringaskiddy by one of the largest naval guards of honour in the history of the Service. She was given a tour of the NMCI, which is a 14,000m2 facility built on a 10 acre waterside campus. Here she was shown the state-of-the-art marine simulator and the sea-survival pool. She also met with personnel from IMERC (formerly MERC3), Ireland’s maritime and energy research campus.
Next her itinerary brought her to the Naval Base on Haulbowline, where she met and spoke with naval personnel, being guided by Commodore Mark Mellett, Flag Officer of the Irish Naval Service.
From there she was welcomed onboard the LE Niamh (P52). She travelled the length of Cork Harbour from Haulbowline to the city quays, and her passage was made all the more special by local school children who waved their best wishes from the shore.
The naval service photographer, Dave Jones was on hand to capture the events, and a selection of those photos are available to see on our Facebook page.
Cork Harbour Facebook Pictures
No comments:
Post a Comment