Engineers Ireland was well represented in Buckingham Palace recently when Queen Elizabeth II hosted a special reception for invited guests in advance of the state visit of Ireland’s president, Michael D. Higgins last month. Dr Katherine Cashell, from Co Cork, was one of those who received an invitation to the reception. The Bishopstown native is a lecturer in Brunel University, London, and chair of the Great Britain Branch of Engineers Ireland. “There were about 300 or so there but it didn’t seem like that many on the night. It was just very obvious how happy everyone was to be there. I hadn’t put much thought into it before I went and I was more excited about getting to see the inside of Buckingham Palace. But looking back on it now, it was an amazing experience; it was a lot bigger and a lot better than I ever thought it could be,” Dr Cashell told the Cork Independent. Cashell wore an Irish design by Carolyn Donnelly for the reception. She had a quick chat with the palace’s head chef before being ushered into another room to meet Queen Elizabeth. “I couldn’t believe how warm and welcoming she was and it was very impressive,” she added. The reception was held for both British and Irish people who have a strong connection to Ireland and Anglo-Irish organisations, as well as Irish nationals living and working in the United Kingdom.