'A real moment in history': Cork marks 10 years since Britain's Queen Elizabeth visited city

Britain's Queen Elizabeth meeting Pat O’Connell of K O'Connell Fish Merchants at The English Market in Cork City on their State Visit to Ireland in 2011. Picture: Maxwells Dublin/Irish Government Pool

It has been 10 years since Britain's Queen Elizabeth visited Cork and to mark the occasion The English Market and Cork City Council have unveiled a specially curated photo exhibition.

On the final day of the Queen's historic State visit to Ireland with her late husband, Philip, the couple took a trip to the Rebel County.

While there they took a tour of the English Market where they spent time talking with market traders and learned about the history and provenance of the food on many of the stalls.

A moment from that visit that stands out in many people's memory was when the Queen and Pat O’Connell of K O'Connell Fish Merchants as they shared a moment of laughter at Pat’s infamous reference to “the mother-in-law fish”.

A photo of the two having a laugh saw the English Market showcased on an international stage with Pat later invited to Buckingham Palace.

This photo along with many others taken during the 2011 visit feature in the exhibition launched today.

Pat O'Connell, K. O'Connell Fish Merchants; Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr. Joe Kavanagh and Stephanie Kavanagh, Lady Mayoress of Cork; Tom Durcan, Tom Durcan Meats, and Sheila Fitzpatrick, Alternative Bread Company unveiled a specially curated photographic exhibition at the entrance to The English Market on Grande Parade, Cork where a floral wreath was also on display as a tribute to the late Prince Philip. Picture: Cathal Noonan

For those who cannot visit Cork city to see the exhibition, a commemorative video was commissioned featuring Pat, Taoiseach Micheál Martin, Simon Coveney, former Lord Mayor of Cork, Michael O'Connell and many more sharing their memories of the day and what it meant for them to be part of it.

Celebrating the launch of the exhibition, Lord Mayor of Cork, Joe Kavanagh, said the visit was a significant moment for Anglo-Irish relations and "a real moment in history" for the people of Cork.

"As the city begins to re-open, we hope that people enjoy reminiscing, looking through the extensive archive of photos and re-living the memories shared through the video piece," said Cllr Kavanagh.

"A special thank you to RTÉ, The Irish Examiner and The Echo for donating the imagery and footage from this monumental day and to all those who took part and shared their stories.”

You can watch the commemorative video below.