Prince Charles will not be visiting Birr Castle

Prince Charles will not be visiting Birr Castle when he comes to Ireland in March. 

Initial reports when the news broke that the heir to the British throne would be making a visit to Ireland included a trip to Birr Castle but it appears those plans have now changed. 

A spokesperson in Birr Castle told the Midland Tribune that the Prince has not made contact with them in advance of his Irish visit at the end of March, which will be based in the South Tipperary area.

“We are not on his itinerary at all,” said the spokesperson. “We'd of course love to see him. He's always welcome, and there would be common interests. He is passionate about gardens and about ecology. Lord Rosse is also passionate about these things. So, if he was to visit, there would be no shortage of things to talk about!” The spokesperson added that Lord Rosse and his predecessors have amassed a wonderful and very special botanical collection over the decades.

The Castle said it has no idea where the report about the Prince visiting originated from.

The Prince has never visited Birr Castle before. His Aunt, Princess Margaret, visited Birr on three occasions, because her husband, Lord Snowdon, was a half-brother of the current Lord Rosse. The first visit was on New Year's Eve 1960 when the recently married couple stayed for a short while. During the visit Birr witnessed an influx of pressmen rarely, if ever, seen in the town or indeed in the greater midlands region. Famously, Queen Elizabeth's telephone switchboard operators mistakenly put a call from the Queen through to Dooly's Hotel in the town rather than to the Castle (the telephone numbers were very similar). When Princess Margaret and Lord Snowdon arrived in Birr they were greeted by 2,000 well-wishers. The media reported that the security was at a high level.

Prince Charles has been a regular visitor to Ireland in recent years, making annual visits. On this particular occasion the future British King will visit Cahir Castle and the Rock of Cashel on his private visit to the area. Nearby Coolmore Stud owned by John Magnier will also feature in his itinerary. The planning is at an advanced stage and British Embassy staff have visited the proposed locations in recent weeks. The Gardaí and other agencies are at an advanced stage of planning with a policing plan developed.

The Prince will stay in the immediate vicinity of Cahir and Cashel, however the exact location is unlikely to be revealed publicly for security reasons.