President ends trip with fancy footwork

PRESIDENT Mary McAleese yesterday shed her footwear as a mark of respect on a visit to one of Turkey’s most sacred religious sites.

The President, and her husband Martin, removed their shoes as required by religious protocol on their visit to the Blue Mosque in Istanbul on the final day of their five-day trip.

Yesterday Áras an Uachtaráin had to admit comments made by the President earlier in the week, in which she said Drogheda’s coat of arms was linked to Turkey, were not based on historical fact.