The Duke of Edinburgh is leaving Northern Ireland with a GAA jersey, hurley stick, sliotar and a lesson in wheelchair Gaelic football, after a trip to an Armagh school on Wednesday.
Prince Edward was appointed duke in 2023 on his 59th birthday by his eldest brother, King Charles III. The title was previously held by their late father, Prince Philip.
He arrived to Northern Ireland today for the 25th anniversary of the Joint Award Initiative, in which The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award works in partnership with the Irish Gaisce: The President’s Award.
Watch: Paul Givan plays Wheelchair GAA
Established in 1999, one year after the Good Friday Agreement was signed, the Joint Award Initiative enables young people in NI aged 14 to 24 to choose how they want their achievements to be recognised – with a Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, a Gaisce Award, or an International Award certificate.
The duke visited St Catherine’s College in Armagh city, where students demonstrated activities they have completed for their awards, including woodworking, baking and GAA coaching.
Representatives from Ulster GAA were also present, and students demonstrated wheelchair Gaelic for the Duke.
The Duke of Edinburgh during his visit to St Catherine’s College in Armagh city
Ulster GAA has been collaborating with the Joint Award Initiative for the past six years, and Gaelic footballer Paddy Burns, who won an All-Ireland title with the Armagh senior team this summer, praised the cross-community progress that has been made in NI during that time.
“We see it in Belfast obviously – there’s East Belfast GAA now, an area of the community which wouldn’t have traditionally been a GAA area,” he told The Belfast Telegraph.
“I have friends and colleagues who I work with in Belfast, who wouldn’t come from a GAA background, but who went to the All-Ireland final and semi-finals, to support me and support Armagh.
“I think we’ve come miles in that regard. We’re light years away from where we used to be and it’s a great place to be.”
Watch: Paul Givan plays Wheelchair GAA
He also noted that while his uncle Jarlath Burns – the President of the GAA – has met a few members of the royal family, Wednesday was a first for Paddy.
“I did tone down the south Armagh twang that I have and tried to be as eloquent as I could for him, but I think there were a few words maybe that passed him by,” the 31-year-old joked.
“He was interested in the wheelchair sport that was going on in the hall, and he asked us a few questions about the bunting and colours around Armagh.
“He asked me: ‘Is that because of you?’ I had to explain to him that there were a fair few other people involved probably more than me, but he was interested in the wheelchair element and how people can manage to control the wheelchair and do the sport at the same time.
“I think I probably should have got across to him what the crowd sizes and ticket prices are like [for the All-Ireland] and it might have landed with a him a little bit more how big a deal it was, but he seemed impressed by the colours and the bunting around the town.”
The Duke of Edinburgh during his visit to St Catherine’s College in Armagh city
When the JAI was created nearly 30 years ago, those behind it couldn’t have predicted that a royal would visit a Catholic secondary school in Northern Ireland renowned for its Irish language unit.
This is something that Paddy noted, and added that “it’s another sign of progress; another sign that we’re moved on from where we were in the past, and that people [such as the royals] can feel comfortable coming here now and know they’re not going to be judged or spoken to differently.
“It’s a sign of the times and a good sign it is.”
Education Minister Paul Givan also attended the day’s events, and took part in a game of wheelchair GAA himself.
It followed a week of controversy and criticism after Mr Givan met with members of the Loyalist Communities Council (LCC), who appealed to him to halt plans for an Irish language primary school in east Belfast.
The Minister was not available for interview yesterday.
Caoimhe Hefferon, a Year 13 pupil at St Patrick’s College Knock, has completed her bronze and silver Duke of Edinburgh awards, and was helping Ulster GAA with the wheelchair demonstration for the duke.
For the volunteering aspects of her awards, she volunteered with a homelessness charity, Hope Harbour, and at the Cúl Camp for her GAA club, St Brigid’s in Belfast.
“I never thought ever in my life I would meet him [Prince Edward] and when I saw him come in, I was so shocked and a little bit take a back. He’s really lovely and down-to-earth.
“Hopefully Ulster GAA offer the gold Duke of Edinburgh award because some of the girls I met doing the bronze, we kept in contact together the whole year and ended up doing the silver, and it was a really nice experience.”