Cork’s very own royal invitation — no offence, like

Joe McNamee profiles a song composed in honour of the visit by Queen Elizabeth II — Come Up To Gurrane Lizzie Windsor

THE dust covers are off the good chairs in the parlour, the fixtures and fittings getting a lick and a spit in anticipation of her arrival. Meanwhile, the hope is rowdy neighbours won’t make a holy show of the lot of us.

We’re, of course, talking about Queen Elizabeth II whose impending Irish visit has riveted the nation. The gardaí are quaking at the security implications of protecting the royal personage on her wide-ranging tour, fearing a republican element overly-enthusiastic with the céad míle fáiltes. Conversely, there’s a sizeable slice of the populace (mostly female, the same crowd who downed tools for the recent nuptials of Kitty and Bill), for whom QEII is just another celeb.