Prince Charles declines invite to repeat secret 'fishing trip' to Limerick village

PRINCE Charles cordially “turned down” an invite from the Castle Oaks House Hotel in Castleconnell to repeat a secret trip to the picturesque Limerick village.

Hotel management sent a letter to Clarence House in London asking the future King if he would like to stay in their riverside location – just like he did 30 years.

The 73-year-old is visiting Ireland this week as part of the global spring tour by members of the British royal family.

Prince Charles visited Castleconnell for a spot of fishing, a pursuit it has been renowned for centuries, in 1992. Theresa O’Keeffe, deputy general manager of the Castle Oaks, said the visit must have been hush hush. 

“I couldn’t find anything out about it so it must have been kept very quiet. Unfortunately, we don’t have any staff that were working in the hotel then,” said Theresa. However, there is photographic evidence of the prince fishing on the footbridge (pictured).

Theresa said the Royal enjoyed fishing on the river Shannon with another famous English visitor to Castleconnell – Jack Charlton.

“2022 marks 30 years since the picture was taken and when we heard that Prince Charles was making a visit to County Tipperary we decided to invite him to take a trip down memory lane and replicate the photograph which we have hanging up in the hotel. Conor, our sales executive, sent an invite to Clarence House along with a copy of the photograph. We were not expecting a response. It was lovely that they replied. Who knows, maybe next time!” said Theresa.

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The response, signed by Prince Charles, says he was very grateful for the invitation. 

“However, after considering the possibilities, I regret that this is not something he will be able to take on. I am sure you will understand that the pressures on his diary mean it is not possible to include all the engagements he would like to undertake,” reads the letter.

It went on to say that Prince Charles was very grateful for sending a photo of his last visit and passed on his warmest best wishes.