William and Kate in Ireland: Royal couple visit Galway

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William and Kate pose with children during a visit to Salthill Knocknacarra GAA clubImage source, Reuters
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William and Kate spent time at Salthill Knocknacarra GAA club where they met young players and coaches

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge tried Gaelic sports in Galway on the last day of their first official visit to the Republic of Ireland.

Prince William and Catherine visited a Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) club in their final engagement on the trip.

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Kate showed off her skills with a Gaelic football

They had earlier been briefed on Galway's appointment as the 2020 European Capital of Culture.

More than 300 well-wishers gathered in the city centre to greet the couple on their arrival on Thursday.

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Young hurling players were on hand to offer the prince some tips on the sport

It was in Salthill where the duke and duchess were able to show off their athletic skills though, trying both Gaelic football and hurling.

Hundreds of volunteers spent the weeks leading up to the visit painting and refurbishing the club.

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Kate had a few attempts before she got a clean strike of the sliotar, the ball used in hurling

Members of the under-10 team joined the Royal couple in rounding off their bridge-building trip to Ireland.

William and Kate also went to the Tig Cóilí pub to meet members of Galway's volunteering community.

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William and Kate were entertained with some traditional Irish music in the Tig Cóilí pub

The duke had to apologise to his wife after finding a fellow Aston Villa fan in the bar and getting drawn into talking about football.

They also took a walk in the city centre, where they met some of the hundreds of people who had gathered to greet them.

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Hundreds of people were waiting to greet the duke and duchess when they left the pub

Their visit to Galway featured a showcase of the city's 2020 European Capital of Culture programme.

They were introduced to projects such as Livefeed, which supports young people in Galway's music scene, and the Galway Community Circus.

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There was some clowning around from William who juggled at the Galway Community Circus

On Wednesday, the duke and duchess took time out from official engagements to walk a coastal cliff path near Howth in County Dublin, bumping into some local people along the way.

The couple's visit to the Republic of Ireland began on Tuesday as they met the country's President Michael D Higgins and his wife at their official residence Áras an Uachtaráin.

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'We thought we'd come and get some fresh air'

Following the footsteps of Queen Elizabeth in 2011, the pair travelled to Dublin's Garden of Remembrance in Dublin.

There they laid a wreath with the handwritten message: "May we never forget the lessons of history as we continue to build a brighter future together."

They attended a reception at the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin and, like his grandmother, William spoke a few words of Irish, addressing guests by saying: "Ladies and gentlemen, a dhaoine uaisle [noble people]."

But unlike his grandmother, he took up the offer of tasting the Guinness when it was poured for him, uttering the Irish toast "sláinte" [health] as he raised his pint.

Their second day involved a visit to Jigsaw, the National Centre of Youth Mental Health.

Later they met staff from the social justice charity Extern before going to Howth Marine Institute to learn about marine sustainability.

Wednesday's itinerary also included a visit to Ireland's Agriculture and Food Development Authority, known as Teagasc, and the Museum of Literature Ireland.