It's Juggling, Midleton Whiskey & A Sporting Afternoon For Visit To Galway

For their final day in Ireland, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge travelled to the West of the country for several engagements in Galway.

William and Kate travelled by helicopter from Dublin, where it is believed they stayed at the official Irish State guest house Farmleigh House. They were delayed due to foggy weather conditions.

Galway has been named the European Capital of Culture for 2020 and today's itinerary focused on celebrating the richness and diversity of Irish culture, and the country’s proud history of artistic endeavour.

Throughout the year in Galway, the honour is being marked with a programme focusing on the themes of language, landscape and migration. Structured around the old Celtic calendar of Imbolc, Bealtaine, Lughnasa and Samhain, Galway 2020 begins in February and runs through until the end of January 2021. The idea of the European Capital of Culture is to put specific regions at the heart of cultural life across Europe and strengthen their communities.

The Duke and Duchess attended a special event at Tribeton featuring a number of Galway 2020’s acts, including Livefeed, Hoops and the Galway Community Circus, and met young performers, young people and volunteers.

William tried his hand at juggling.

People reports:

'The 37-year-old royal began juggling like a professional, as Kate, 38, clapped and cheered him on along with the rest of the impressed crowd.

However, things went less smoothly when Prince William tried to incorporate a fourth ball into his routine. He threw two balls into the air, but when it came time to free his hands of the other balls, they went flying in different directions — including one ball straight at his wife!'

The couple met a group of young basketball players.

From there, the Cambridges visited Tig Coili, a family-owned, traditional Irish pub in Galway city centre, where they met local Galwegians who volunteer to promote the city and its people.

They were gifted a rare bottle of 2019 Midleton Whiskey and a pair of glasses from the pub with their names and the date inscribed.

They posed for a moment outside the pub.

People reports:

'Among the crowds waiting outside the Tig Coili pub was Katie Lemon, 21, who works at a medical device company in Galway as part of a placement from her university degree in Belfast. “I didn’t expect to see so many people. I just love the royals,” she says. “I saw them last year in Belfast and there’s so much excitement when people come out to see them.” She adds, “It’s great that they’re here for Galway 2020.”

Hello! Galway.

On King Street, William and Kate met locals who had waited outside to catch a glimpse of the couple. Victoria Murphy reports 'Angela Moran from Westport, County Mayo, was holding a commemorative banner from the 2011 royal wedding when she spoke to William. “He asked about the flag,” I said to him that I really admired him and Catherine and he said thank you very much. I said I love her and he said ‘I do too, nice of you to say so.’ About meeting the couple, she said: “It was amazing. It’s something you’d think will never happen. We came and stayed here overnight so that we’d be in a good position to see them today. We’ve had a long stand but it was worth every second.”

More from People:

'The young girls called out, “Kate, Kate, Kate,” and the royal mom of three swiftly moved through the crowd to see the two friends. 

“We asked to shake her hand. She is very beautiful,” says Siofre Borke, 8, who was there with friend Hazel McGann, 8.

“We were surprised she came running over,” says Hazel’s mom Paula McGann, 43.
“It was so sweet to see. You can see how Kate is drawn to the kids,” adds Phillida Eves, who was standing behind the children. “She said, ‘I’ll be really quick!’ She was making an effort.”

A great shot from the walkabout.

Embed from Getty Images

A video from the visit with great footage from the walkabout.

Finally, it was time for a spot of sporting fun at a a local Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) club.

The Duke and Duchess learned more about traditional sports which are popular across Ireland, including hurling and Gaelic football.

Kensington Palace said: "The GAA has over 2,200 clubs in all 32 counties of Ireland. Every summer, the inter-county All-Ireland Championships in hurling and football capture the attention of the Irish public and around 1.5 million people attend the GAA Championships from May to September."

William and Kate were eager to try hurling.

This one begs a caption contest (I think Kate was happy with her effort :))

Prince William gives it his best shot.

A cheer from William!

Hello! writes:

'Speaking after the visit, Club secretary Conor McGauran said: "Symbolically it's a massive deal for us. The royals have never set foot in a GAA Club before. They're doing it in our club in Galway and in Salthill and Knocknacarra today. It's hugely emotional for us.

“It's history being made. Plain and simple. People have been in Croke Park before but they've never been in a GAA club before and I think it’s a massive indication from the royal family about their hopes and intentions to connect even further with the community of Ireland, not just parts of Ireland or the hierarchy. This is more than just symbolic, this is them playing our national sport, this is them getting involved in a community-based organisation that’s completely run by volunteerism, so to me it's a huge message of support for Irish-British relations."

A video of the couple in action.

We saw the Duchess in two ensembles in Galway.

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The Duchess wore her military green Alexander McQueen coat which she debuted for engagements in Bradford in January.

Kate's green polka dot silk crepe de chine dress is a custom made Suzannah dress based on the Valerie Midi Dress. The £1,250 piece is described as: "Beautiful vintage inspired silk printed midi dress inspired by a 1940s vintage dress. The bodice has a perfect fit which skims over the body. The waist has a slightly higher pitched waist seam, with the skirt being a soft a-line. The sleeves have a wonderful pleated sleeve head and playfully cut long sleeves. A romantic dress with a wonderful soft and flattering structure. The dress has a centre back zip for step-in ease."

Kate added the Sézane Artemis Belt (with thanks to @Sandduneandpinetrees).

Kate carried the Jimmy Choo Croc-Embossed Lealther Palace bag (with thanks to Middleton Maven).

Kate wore her black suede Ralph Lauren boots.

Kate accessorised with her Daniella Draper mini cupid shamrock hoops from yesterday.

And debuted the matching necklace today.

For a sporting afternoon, Kate changed into a casual look. The Duchess teamed black skinny jeans with the £225 Really Wild Cashmere Mix Sweater in coral. Kate also owns the piece in ruby red.

Kate also wore her Sweaty Betty x New Balance trainers.

And that's a wrap on Royal Visit Ireland. I have no doubt the Duke and Duchess are incredibly excited to get home to see the children and enjoy the weekend together. I very much enjoyed this visit and I'm looking forward to seeing William and Kate's relationship continue to grow with Ireland in the years to come.

Which moments stood out for you? I found following in the Queen's footsteps at the Garden of Remembrance particularly poignant.