The pomp. The circumstance. The wellies.
Random scenes by ‘Random Irish Photos’ from the final two days of President and Sabina Higgins’ State visit to the UK.
The Randomer writes:
“For the most part, President Higgins’ State visit was a heavily ceremonialised affair – from the moment he arrived at Heathrow to moments including his address to the joint houses of Parliament in the Royal Gallery (pictured), where moments before people like David Trimble (pictured) steadily filed into their seats. Mrs Higgins sat by his side facing the assembled dignitaries (including British PM David Cameron) and at an angle – albeit accidentally – where a golden royal crown could be seen on the tapestry behind her and directly over her own own head. It was an image that would repeat again when the couple were leaving the Royal Albert Hall on Thursday night and the President had just shuffled over to the left hand side of the Bentley loaned to him by the Queen. After the Albert Hall event, the President – one of the last people to leave concert venue – surprised a gathering of ex-pats by coming over, shaking hands and wishing them all good-night ‘as gaeilge’. Apologies for the slight blur but his approach to the barrier caused a bit of a surge of people keen to shake his hand. Most of the other shots here are of when he visited a farm in Oxford under the watchful eye of – among others – Irish Times reporter Mark Hennessy (partially pictured standing behind Mr Higgins). This was the farm where he and his wife were pictured cuddling up to cross-bred male lamb Number 57 held firmly in the hands of vet Ruth Clements…”
