THE CORK fishmonger who brought a beaming smile to the face of Queen Elizabeth during her visit to the city’s English Market in May could find himself hanging in Buckingham Palace after the British ambassador asked him for a signed copy of the photograph that captured the moment.
Pat O’Connell revealed that he was shocked when British ambassador Julian King asked him for a signed copy of photographer Valerie O’Sullivan’s picture of Queen Elizabeth smiling broadly when he told her that he hadn’t been so nervous since his wedding day.
“I was out when the British ambassador called so my brother, Paul rang me. At first I thought he was pulling my leg but then I realised he was serious so we got Paul’s copy of the picture and I signed it and we gave it to Mr King who was having lunch upstairs in the Farmgate.
“I just signed it and wrote a small message saying how successful her visit had been for the city and hoping that she enjoyed it and wishing her well for the future.
“It’s still a bit of a shock to think that I’ve been asked to sign a photograph of myself and the Queen,” he said.
Freelance photographer Valerie O’Sullivan – who was working on the day for Maxwells – said she was delighted that the photograph had evoked such a response from people not just in Ireland and the UK but in places as far away as Boston and Sydney.
According to Mr O’Connell, the visit of Queen Elizabeth has been a huge boost to the market with tourists flocking in their droves to see where exactly Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip visited with many actually having their photograph taken beside the now-famous picture.