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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
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| Historic first for Maundy service | |
| (about 5 hours later) | |
| The Queen is breaking with centuries of tradition to attend the first Maundy Thursday service to take place outside England and Wales. | |
| It is being held in St Patrick's Church of Ireland Cathedral in Armagh, Ireland's ecclesiastical capital. | It is being held in St Patrick's Church of Ireland Cathedral in Armagh, Ireland's ecclesiastical capital. |
| The leaders of the four main churches on the island are attending the traditional alms-giving ceremony. | |
| It marks the final day of a three-day visit by the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh to Northern Ireland. | It marks the final day of a three-day visit by the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh to Northern Ireland. |
| Representatives of the Jewish, Muslim and Hindu faiths are also attending the service, at which the Catholic Primate Cardinal Sean Brady and the Duke of Edinburgh are expected to give readings. | |
| Maundy Thursday has been celebrated since the earliest days of the Christian Church. | Maundy Thursday has been celebrated since the earliest days of the Christian Church. |
| Last Supper | Last Supper |
| The word Maundy is derived from Latin and refers to Christ's commandment at the Last Supper to love one another, before he washed the feet of his disciples. | The word Maundy is derived from Latin and refers to Christ's commandment at the Last Supper to love one another, before he washed the feet of his disciples. |
| The tradition of the sovereign giving alms to the poor stretches back to at least the 12th Century and there are continuous records from the reign of King Edward 1. | The tradition of the sovereign giving alms to the poor stretches back to at least the 12th Century and there are continuous records from the reign of King Edward 1. |
| From the middle ages, the number of recipients mirrors the sovereign's years. | From the middle ages, the number of recipients mirrors the sovereign's years. |
| The Queen is presenting Maundy Thursday alms purses to 164 people - 82 men and 82 women. | |
| These people come from all over Northern Ireland and are deemed to have made a significant contribution to church or community life. | These people come from all over Northern Ireland and are deemed to have made a significant contribution to church or community life. |
| The Queen is presenting Maundy Thursday alms purses to 164 people | |
| The distribution of the alms comes in two parts. The red purse contains an allowance in place of food and clothing given in bygone times. | The distribution of the alms comes in two parts. The red purse contains an allowance in place of food and clothing given in bygone times. |
| In the white purse there are Maundy coins, as many pence as the Queen is years old (82). | In the white purse there are Maundy coins, as many pence as the Queen is years old (82). |
| The coins are legal tender, but because they are so rare are sought after by collectors. | The coins are legal tender, but because they are so rare are sought after by collectors. |
| Pupils from local schools, who are known as Maundy children, are attending the Queen. | |
| The Chapel Royal Choir and the choir of St Patrick's Cathedral are leading the worship. | |
| Earlier on Thursday, the Queen was guest of honour at a reception in the Royal School Armagh held to celebrate the 400th Anniversary of the five Royal Schools of Ulster. | |
| Her Majesty met the headmasters and chairmen of the five schools and about 130 guests. | |
| A special programme covering the Maundy Thursday service is now being broadcast on BBC One and on this website. |