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Firefighters, flax and cider for William and Kate on one-day NI visit

Mark SimpsonCommunities correspondent, BBC News NI
News imageChris Jackson/PA Wire Catherine, Princess of Wales and her husband Prince William smile and laugh during a rope training exercise at the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS) Learning and Development College in County Tyrone. Cathering is wearing a dark olive green coat fastened to the neck and Prince William is wearing a brown blazer, a light coloured shirt and a dark tie. Chris Jackson/PA Wire
The royal couple smiled and laughed as the princess took part in a rope-throwing exercise organised by firefighters

The Prince and Princess of Wales met recently-qualified firefighters and visited farms during their first joint visit to Northern Ireland in three years.

Their trip began with a tour of the new Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS) Learning and Development College in County Tyrone, before they travelled to a flax farm in Cookstown and an orchard in Portadown.

The couple joined in some of the training exercises at the £50m state-of-the-art training site, at Desertcreat just outside Cookstown, which opened in May.

They were given a tour of the 50-acre site in a fire engine, with one trainee saying the princess said she would "love to drive at the real speed and have the siren on".

News imageChris Jackson/PA Wire A male firefighter with short ginger hair shakes hands with Catherine, Princess of Wales while a young female firefighter with dark hair stands beside them, smiling. Prince William is standing beside his wife, talking to the recruits. The firefighers are wearing beige safety suits and carrying bright yellow safety helmets. There is a red fire safety vehicle parked behind them.Chris Jackson/PA Wire
The royal couple met recently qualified firefighters Caoimhe McNeice (centre) and Piarais McCaffrey (right)

NIFRS trainee Caoimhe McNeice, from Belfast, who was among those who greeted the royal guests on Tuesday, said she was just having "a bit of banter", adding: "She was wanting the prince to drive but the driver got us there anyway."

The multi-million pound training centre represents the biggest capital investment in the fire service's history.

It includes a tactical firefighting facility, a floodwater rescue facility, a replica village and a training warehouse.

The couple were shown training exercises including flood-water and rope rescues and they both joined in for one of the rope-throwing exercises.

The visit coincides with fire safety week.

Chief fire officer Aidan Jennings described it as a "proud and unforgettable day for our service".

News imageCaoimhe McNeice and Piarais McCaffrey posing for a photo in front of the fire station training facility outside Cookstown. Caoimhe has dark hair tied back in a ponytail or bun and Piarais has short ginger hair. They are wearing beige protective suits with reflective stripes. There is a red and black fire station behind them and tall buildings to the left.
Caoimhe McNeice and Piarais McCaffrey were among the first recruits to train at the state-of-the-art facility

Stormont's Health Minister Mike Nesbitt, whose department oversees the fire service, was also at the event.

When he was introduced to Prince William he said with a smile: "Welcome back to the mainland."

Nesbitt later decribed the visit as a "significant recognition of the courage and commitment of our firefighters and dedicated staff".

Kensington Palace said the NIFRS site provides "opportunities for young people from across Northern Ireland to train to become the next generation of firefighters".

News imageChris Jackson/PA Wire The Prince and Princess of Wales observe a training scenario during a visit to the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service Learning and Development College near Cookstown. They are standing on a platform with a group of men above a deep training pool. Five firefighters in red and black rescue uniforms are standing in the pool holding a stretcher as the level of water increases. Chris Jackson/PA Wire
The royal guests were given a demonstration of a water rescue

Royal couple on the farm

News imageReuters Four people gather round a stack of yellow flax in a green field. The two people in the middle in are the Prince and Princess of Wales. The prince is wearing a brown blazer, blue shirt and navy tie. The princess with long brown hair wears a brown skirt, dark green jacket and brown waistcoat. On the pair's left is a man with medium length grey hair and a short grey beard. He wears blue denim jeans and a grey sweater. On the right is a woman with short brown hair who wears a grey beanie, green waterproof coat, blue jeans and black wellington boots. Reuters
The royal couple spent time with Helen Keys and Charlie Mallon as they visited their flax farm in County Tyrone

The Prince and Princess of Wales later visited Mallon Farm in Cookstown, a flax farm which had previously been a dairy farm.

The royal couple were told by Helen Keys and Charlie Mallon about the sustainable methods being used to grow flax to create linen.

They were shown the flax fields as well as the old mechanical technique of breaking bunches of flax to soften it, which the princess tried her hand at and compared the feel of it to a "hairbrush".

Ms Keys praised the visit saying it "shines a light" on their aims to develop a sustainable linen industry.

News imagePA Media The princess operates a wooden flax machine. She has her right hand on a lever which she presses down into a flat base. In between the lever and the base is a bundle of flax. PA Media
The princess had the chance to operate a machine which breaks bunches of flax to soften it

Cider in the Orchard County

News imagePA Media The prince and princess look into the camera whilst a man with short black hair wearing a lab coat stands side on conversing with them. William who is on the far left of the frame wears a brown blazer, blue shirt and navy tie, whilst holding a half full glass of a fizzy cloudy-orange liquid. Catherine, who holds an identical glass of the same liquid, stands in the middle wearing a green coat, brown waistcoat and black turtle neck sweater. They are inside a factory with white walls. PA Media
William and Kate toured a family farm in County Armagh were they sampled cider, amongst other produce

The couple also spent time at the family farm of Catherine McKeever in County Armagh.

Mrs McKeever and her husband Pat welcomed the prince and princess to Long Meadow Farm outside Portadown.

It was there were they sampled cider produced on site, as well as apple juice and cider vinegar.

The McKeever family have been running the farm since 1968.

William and Kate toured the production facilities, drinking apple juice pressed just seconds earlier.

Mr and Mrs McKeever's son Peter said: "The juice was freshly pressed, no added water, no added sugar. They got it in its raw, pure state and they absolutely loved it."

When discussing cider with the couple, he claimed: "William didn't say what he liked as a favourite, but he said he likes a dry cider."

An apple-picking excursion followed, with the royal couple helping to gather some of the fruit.

Tuesday's trip is the royal couple's sixth joint visit to Northern Ireland.

Their first was in March 2011, just a few weeks before their wedding.

The last time the couple travelled to Northern Ireland together was in October 2022, shortly after the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

The palace said they would spend their time "visiting innovative organisations that showcase growth and investment in rural areas".

Their itinerary also includes engagements at sites which "demonstrate entrepreneurial and creative opportunities for young people".

The princess paused her royal duties last year while she underwent cancer treatment, meaning Prince William visited Northern Ireland alone in November.