Royal gun salute as NI continues to mourn passing of Queen

Much of the focus of activities is in the village of Hillsborough in Co Down.

Council workers and local community representatives hang a mural on a wall on Crimea street off the Shankill road in Belfast following the death of the Queen (Mark Marlow/PA) (PA Wire)

A royal gun salute is set to sound as people in Northern Ireland continue to pay tribute following the passing of the Queen.

With the UK entering a period of official mourning, much of the focus in Northern Ireland will be on the small village of Hillsborough in Co Down, which will be the centre of ceremonial activities.

At Hillsborough Castle a royal gun salute will sound at lunchtime, with 96 rounds fired, one to mark every year of the Queen’s life.

A major security operation is under way in the village, with traffic restricted ahead of what is expected to be a large number of visitors paying tribute over the coming days.

Royal Hillsborough last year became the first place in Northern Ireland to be granted royal status.

Floral tributes are laid at the gates of Hillsborough Castle in County Down (Jonathan McCambridge/PA) (PA Wire)

Already a large number of floral tributes have been left at the gates of the castle, with people travelling from across Northern Ireland to pay their respects.

Away from the Co Down village, people were gathering at a mural of the Queen on the Shankill Road in Belfast on Friday morning to leave floral tributes.

Church bells are expected to ring out at a number of locations and books of condolence will be opened in Belfast, Londonderry and at other locations.

Lord Mayor of Belfast Christina Black said: “Queen Elizabeth made a valuable contribution to building peace and strengthening reconciliation between people on these islands.

“As a mark of respect, I will open books of condolence at City Hall for the people of the city to sign and extend sympathies to her family at this sad time.”

Stormont speaker Alex Maskey has already stated that he is liaising with officials to ensure that the Stormont Assembly is able to pay tribute.