Prince Charles Greets Former IRA Gun Runner

The Prince of Wales has ended his visit to Ireland by shaking hands with a former IRA gun runner, who said the trip was another step on the journey towards "peace and reconciliation" between the British Government and Irish Republicans.

Prince Charles met Martin Ferris, a Sinn Fein MP in the Irish Parliament, as his four-day visit to Northern Ireland and the Republic with the Duchess of Cornwall drew to a close.

At a garden party in Killarney, County Kerry, the two men warmly shook hands and exchanged a few words.

Speaking about the visit to the area, Mr Ferris said: "I think it's a wonderful occasion again, it's a big boost to Kerry from a tourism perspective.

"From a national perspective it's another step on the peace and reconciliation journey that both Prince Charles and the British Government and the British royal family are involved with along with Republicans on this island."

Prince Charles has made four trips to Ireland in as many years. The 2011 visit by the Queen to Ireland was seen as a watershed moment in Anglo-Irish relations, ushering in closer ties between the two nations as they reconciled their difficult shared histories.