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21 April 1926 to 8 September 2022
Members of the public will be welcome to pay their respects to HM Queen Elizabeth II at Hillsborough Castle during the period of official mourning.
Special transport will be put in place from the dedicated Park and Ride facility at the Eikon Centre, Halftown Road, Lisburn to visit Hillsborough Castle from Saturday 10 September. There will be no public access to the Castle during this period other than via this Park & Ride service.
On arrival at the Eikon Centre, members of the public will pass through a soft security search, before boarding coaches for Hillsborough Castle. You will be able to access toilets and refreshments at the Eikon Centre before travelling to Royal Hillsborough. A rolling coach service will be available for the return journey, dropping visitors back to the car park at Royal Hillsborough.
Large bags, such as backpacks and rucksacks will not be allowed onto the Park & Ride buses to Royal Hillsborough; you will be asked to return any large bags to your car and will have to undergo the queuing system again.
Please be aware that only floral tributes will be allowed to be laid in the dedicated area at Hillsborough Castle. On arrival at the Eikon Centre, all floral tributes will undergo a full security search, and any cellophane wrapping will be removed and disposed of at the Eikon Centre to avoid a fire risk. Notes will also be removed and preserved by the NIO at Eikon Centre for onward transmission to Buckingham Palace.
Other ‘artefacts’ (i.e. items other than flowers, such as teddy bears) are not allowed to be laid, and will also be removed and stored at the Eikon Centre. Items such as soft toys will be donated by the NIO to local hospitals.
On arrival at Hillsborough Castle, the tributes should be handed to an events steward who will lay them in the dedicated area in the Forecourt of Hillsborough Castle.
More information and guidance can be found on the Cabinet Office mourning period guidance web page.
Further information on the public transport services is available on Translink’s Website
As you are aware, Hillsborough Castle is a secure venue and for this reason it will be necessary for everyone coming on site to undergo a short security check before boarding the buses at the Eikon Centre as well as a further check before entering Hillsborough Castle.
All cellophane on floral tributes will be removed during this security check. No other tributes will be allowed at the Hillsborough Castle site, and guests are requested to refrain from bringing any other objects or tributes.
To facilitate a speedy security check, guests are requested not to bring large bags or holdalls. There will be no storage facility in the Eikon Centre for luggage.
Hillsborough Castle is only accessible to the general public (aside from local residents and business owners) during the national period of mourning via the Park & Ride facility at the Eikon Centre.
Flowers may be handed to staff outside Hillsborough Castle; any other material (such as wrappings and other tributes) will be removed and the flowers will be laid in the dedicated area.
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