Queen Elizabeth ‘moved’ by Cork Welcome

Queen elizabeth in corkQueen Elizabeth in Cork was “deeply moved” by the warm welcome she and Prince Philip received during their visit. In her letter to the Lord Mayor of Cork, Queen Elizabeth II asked that her special thanks be conveyed to the people of Cork for the welcome she received during her historic state visit to Ireland.
In an unexpected break from her schedule on the final day of her visit, the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh shook hands with dozens of people who had lined the Grand Parade to witness the visit. 
The Queen described her visit to the English Market as a particularly “memorable occasion”.

“It was such a colourful and lively visit, as well as a wonderful opportunity for Her Majesty and His Royal Highness to meet members of the public,” wrote the Queen’s private secretary. 
”Please would you tell the people of Cork that the warmth of their welcome was deeply moving and greatly appreciated.”
The visit has sparked interest among tourists and internet searches for the terms ‘cork’, ‘queens visit to cork’, ‘english market cork’, ‘cork hotels’ etc have increased phenomenally, which is encouraging from a tourist industry point of view.

So far this month, searches on the Hotels.com website have risen by 69% for Dublin, 74% for Cork, 191% for Kildare and 80% for Tipperary compared with the year-ago period. These are the locations visited by the Queen during her Irish visit. 
Falling hotel rates and a general reduction in prices has also been beneficial.