Waterford Treasures Museums welcome Royal Visit
The Waterford Treasures Museums which sit at the heart of Ireland’s oldest City, recently voted the best place to live, warmly welcome Their Royal Highnesses, The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall as part of their state visit to Ireland.
The royal couple will visit Waterford Treasures, a collection of five museums within Waterford’s Viking Triangle. Director of the Museum Eamonn McEneaney says, “We are honoured to extend a warm welcome to the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall today. I am sure they will enjoy the exhibitions of Ireland’s past in the Waterford Treasures Medieval Museum. Their private tour includes a viewing of ‘The Great Charter Roll of Waterford 1372 (viewed by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in 2011) that features the earliest contemporary portrait of an English monarch King Edward III (1327-1377). Described as the world’s first powerpoint presentation the four-metre long roll features five kings of England, nine royal governors and the earliest image of a mayor in either Britain or Ireland. The royal couple will also view the 1536 Cap of Maintenance of King Henry VIII, the only piece of the king’s clothing to survive, along with the impressive bearing sword gifted by the king to the mayor of Waterford in 1536.
The royal couple will begin their tour of the Viking Triangle at Reginald’s Tower the only monument in Ireland named in honour of a Viking. On display in the tower is Waterford Treasures Museums’ collection of Viking age treasures. Walking up Bailey’s New Street the royal couple will see the very atmospheric ruins of the medieval Franciscan Friary founded in 1240 by an Anglo-Norman knight and dissolved in 1540 by King Henry VIII. The couple will pass the Irish Museum of Time and the Irish Silver Museum in Cathedral Square before entering the multi-award-winning Medieval Museum. Built over two medieval chambers, the 13th century Choristers’ Hall and the 15th century Mayor’s Wine Vault, the museum houses two of the 100 most important objects in Irish history. Following a reception in City Hall the couple will be shown 33 The Mall from where in 1848 Thomas Francis Meagher first flew the Irish tri-colour.
The collection of Waterford Treasures Museums are open year-round in Waterford City, for further details see https://www.waterfordtreasures.com/
