Pilgrimage to Irish death site for Prince Charles

The Prince of Wales will make an emotional trip to Mullaghmore in the west of Ireland where his great uncle Lord Mountbatten was assassinated by the IRA, officials have confirmed.

Streedagh Strand, Co Sligo, Image by Pao Link / CC BY 2.0

The stop-off will be a poignant moment in a four-day trip later this month, the first official joint visit by Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall to Ireland and Northern Ireland.

Lord Mountbatten was killed on August 27, 1979, when a remote-control IRA bomb blew apart his pleasure boat at Mullaghmore in Co Sligo, where his family often enjoyed holidays.

The 79-year-old – who was also the Queen’s cousin – had a close relationship with Charles.

Both Charles and Camilla will begin their trip to Ireland on May 19 with a reception at the National University of Ireland Galway followed by a visit to Ireland’s Marine Institute.

They will then travel to the Burren in County Clare, an ancient and dramatic stony outcrop famed for its rare plant life, biodiversity and archaeology.

The Blooming Burren in Co Clare on Ireland’s west coast Image by Pat Guiney / CC BY 2.0

Later, they will join President Michael D. Higgins and his wife Sabina for a private dinner.

The royal couple will visit Sligo on their second day, including a service of peace and reconciliation at St Columba’s Church, in Drumcliffe, where Irish poet William Butler Yeats is buried.

They will then travel to nearby Mullaghmore, where they will meet with locals. Later in the day, the pair will attend the Sligo Races.

On May 21, Charles and Camilla will arrive in Northern Ireland where they will attend a reception and concert at Hillsborough Castle, outside Belfast.

The following day, they will take in stately home Mount Stewart, run by the National Trust.

They will also visit Corrymeela, Northern Ireland’s oldest peace and reconciliation centre.

(Press Association)