Standing ovation for Queen Elizabeth II in Ireland

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(CBS/AP) DUBLIN - It was a moment that would have been unthinkable just a few years ago,

A beaming Queen Elizabeth II received a five-minute standing ovation from an adoring Dublin crowd after hosting a British and Irish fashion show and musical performances in the Irish capital.

Pictures: The Queen in Ireland
Pictures: Queen Elizabeth II Pictures: The Queen of hats

Thursday night's gala was the first time the Irish public had gotten a chance to express their views about the Britsh monarch's four-day state visit to the Republic of Ireland.

She waved enthusiastically at the crowd at the conclusion of the gala, which marked her final appearance in Dublin before moving on to Cashel and Cork on Friday before a late afternoon flight home.

Television personality Gay Byrne, who presented the show, told the audience: "You were present at an historic occasion. Remember it."

The show included a presentation of Irish and British fashions from designers including John Rocha, Victoria Beckham and others, and musical performances by Westlife, Riverdance and other favorites.

The overwhelming security for the historic visit, the first by a British monarch to Ireland in a century, has prevented the queen from mingling with the Dubliners lining the streets to see her.

Earlier in the day, the queen ventured out of Dublin to indulge in one of her great passions - horse racing. She ventured into the center of Ireland's vaunted thoroughbred industry with a visit to the National Stud, where she was shown some of the country's finest stallions,

The queen is known as a skilled breeder and owner who often manages to visit horse farms during international trips that are otherwise filled with more formal events. Her last visit to the U.S., for example, was timed to coincide with the running of the Kentucky Derby.

Her husband, Prince Philip, left the National Stud early for a reception in Dublin, and the queen slipped away in her bulletproof Range Rover after the event. She was thought to be making a private visit to other horse facilities in the region, but officials would not confirm her itinerary.