* Her majesty’s lovely cúpla focal at the start of her speech at Dublin Castle. The word from palace sources is that they were included at Queen Elizabeth’s suggestion.
* The entire foreign and Irish press corps in the media centre watching the queen and the duke of Edinburgh contemplating a pint of stout in the Gravity Bar. She shrank back from the glass while he stared longingly at it. The hacks worked themselves into a frenzy, willing him to pick up the glass and yelling: “Go on, go on, go on: drink it!” When the duke tore himself away without a sip, the hacks collapsed in a disappointed heap, in the manner of soccer fans when their team misses a penalty.
* The handful of hooligans and their noisy protests against the British monarch, conducted by witless loudmouths proudly sporting English Premier League team jerseys.
* The protester bawling A Nation Once Againand Kevin Barryinto a megaphone while his slack-jawed accomplices hummed along because they didn't know the words.
* The first missile thrown in the skirmish outside Christ Church on Wednesday night was that traditional symbol of British imperialism a full can of Budweiser. We know it was unopened, because it hit the Guardian reporter Henry McDonald, burst open and covered him in beer.
* RTÉ’s Kathryn Thomas breathlessly telling John Murray about the queen’s concert: “I’ve never seen so many guards in the one place. Not even in Copper Face Jacks.”
* Overheard after Prince Philip was asked by Enda Kenny if he had a chance to enjoy the beautiful grounds around Farmleigh House. To which he replied: “No. The buggers won’t let me out!”
* The reappearance of the Historians. God love them, sidelined for so long by the Economists. Welcome back, Tim Pat and pals.
* Her majesty meets Gay Byrne at last.
* Mary from Tesco and Liz from Windsor having a natter about The X Factor after the concert at the Convention Centre Dublin. And Prince Philip telling Olivia O’Leary, after her fine summation of the royal trip and Ireland’s attitude to it, “You must have put a lot of work into that!”
* Vincent Browne telling Kathleen Lynch, TD for Cork North Central, that the queen might need an interpreter in Cork. “Not at all,” says Kathleen. “De queen’s English is quite good.”
* Nickey Brennan, former GAA president and Kilkenny hurler, committing the “faux pas” of touching the queen, when he gripped her arm and steered her along a line of GAA officials. On Thursday he told the Kilkenny Advertiser: “There was no offence intended by my gesture at all. But I was embarrassed when a security man from the palace came up to me when in Croke Park and asked me to remove my hand. He was particularly polite about it and explained to me afterwards that it was simply protocol – but it was a little embarrassing.”
* Seamus Heaney raising his glass to the queen at Dublin Castle. That would be the Seamus who wrote in 1983: “Be advised / My passport’s green. / No glass of ours was ever raised / To toast the queen.” Be advised: that’s poets for you.
* The glaring lack of property developers at Thursday’s concert.
* The resilience of the over-80s. Such stamina. Why did they make the queen shake so many hands and stand for so long?
* The wonder of the world that is the lady-in-waiting: all hat, handbag, sturdy stance and sensible shoes. Wouldn’t want to cross one.
* The surprise on the queen’s face, followed by a broad smile, when she took to the stage on Thursday night and the audience gave her a rousing Irish welcome.
