Boy gives Camilla a card in braille during Cork visit

When asked what he thought of being given an audience with royalty Jack O’Mahony (7) from Clonakilty, Co Cork said that it was “great.”

Boy gives Camilla a card in braille during Cork visit

Olivia Kelleher

A visually impaired boy who presented the Duchess of Cornwall with a card in braille during her visit to the Irish Guide Dogs Training Centre in Cork said that it was “exciting” to meet a member of the Royal family even if he was keen to go home after all the frenetic activity.

When asked what he thought of being given an audience with royalty Jack O’Mahony (7) from Clonakilty, Co Cork said that it was “great.”

However, initially, he believed the question was about his baby sister who became a little tired in the heat as the special visitor made her way down the line.

The Duchess of Cornwall with 7-year-old Jack O' Mahony at the Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind centre.
The Duchess of Cornwall with 7-year-old Jack O' Mahony at the Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind centre.

Jack's mother, Aisling Hourihane, said they were notified of their involvement in the engagement last week and that it was an honour to meet the personable and warm Duchess.

Brian Butler from Cobh, Co Cork told the Duchess that he was on his fifth guide dog, which he has named Enzo in honour of the Italian Motor racing driver Enzo Ferrari. He said that he discussed adapting to a new dog with the Duchess.

I have had guide dogs for years. She was saying about adapting to a new one and I told her they were all different and that I loved them all. I felt very relaxed with her as she was so nice.

The trip to the centre involved a walking tour of the kennel and puppy blocks, a showcase and explanation of the sensory tunnel, a showcase and early training display and an advanced blindfold exercise to show a guide dog in operation.”

Protocol dictated that it wasn’t necessary to bow or curtsy to HRH and while it was the norm to address the Duchess as "Your Royal Highness" or "Madam" the informality of the surroundings made for a number of casual encounters.

The Duchess also chose to speak to volunteers who gathered at the centre. Muriel O’Brien from Douglas in Cork city said she greeted Camilla with the words “Madam, you look beautiful”.

I said to her ‘Welcome to Cork.’ She said ‘thank you.’ Her outfit was lovely. She was very down to earth.

Muriel joked that she wasn’t going to allow the Duchess to pass and she and fellow volunteers Margaret Hurley and Mary Aldwort were delighted with their little moment with royalty.

The Duchess, a noted animal lover, seemed taken with several of the dogs and puppies which were shown to her at the centre in Cork.

During a speech at the Battersea Dogs and Cats Home in 2016 the Duchess said British people were “besotted with dogs and cats” and that visits to such places proved “fatal” as the tendency was to want to bring one home. After her first visit to the home she rehomed two dogs herself Beth and Bluebell.

WC Fields famously warned that one should never work with children or animals. However, the Head of Finance at the Irish Guide Dogs Training Centre, Neil Munday, said the Duchess was great with staff, volunteers, children and the dogs.

She was very interested. It is brilliant for Cork and Ireland. The Cork (training centre) is the headquarters for a national charity. We don’t have too many of them done in Cork so it is very good for us. I heard her have a (nice) conversation with one of our clients. She (the Duchess) overwhelmed us. It has been a fantastic day.

Legendary royal photographer, Arthur Edwards MBE, said that he was pleased to travel to Ireland to photograph the Duchess during her visit to such an amazing service.

Mr Edwards who is a veteran in the industry said that the Camilla was “a breath of fresh air” and the “nicest person ever.”

“Every job you do she does her best. She held a puppy in there. We got a nice picture of her. When she married Prince Charles her approval rating was poor and every year it is getting better and better and now it is quite high. She has worked so hard. They (Prince Charles and Camilla) are still hopelessly in love with each other.

When I recently did an interview with her in Vienna I asked her what made her happy and she said ‘My husband and my grandchildren.’ They are very happy.”

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