The Clare Champion Clare news, sport, entertainment and local notes
A BOOK on Mike Kelly, the aviation enthusiast who provided the model aircraft in the Shannon Airport Aviation Gallery has been officially launched.
The launch was at the airport, just beside the area where the amazing collection of more than 1,500 die-cast model aircraft he provided are on display.
Mr Kelly comes to Shannon several times a week to tend to the collection and at Monday’s launch Shannon Group CEO Mary Considine said, “Mike’s love of the collection is infectious and his personal touch really adds to the visitor experience in our airport.
“He is generous with his time in maintaining and curating it. His wonderful storytelling has engaged many a passenger. Nearly every day passengers tell us how much they have enjoyed the display and for this we are most grateful. I would like to congratulate Mike, author Kieran Beville and publisher Dominic Taylor and wish them every success with the book.”
The publication is called Pulling Back The Clouds, and it tells how Mike was bitten by the aviation bug when as a child his father brought to what was then Rineanna, to see the planes. He soon began collecting die-cast models and would go on to spend over €250,000 on them since.
Pulling Back The Clouds not only tells Mike’s story, but also gives an insight into a time when aviation was in its infancy in Ireland.
Speaking on Monday, Mike said that he was delighted to be the subject of the book. “I was quite excited about it. I love my aviation, it’s hard to put it into words.”
He said he is still as passionate about aviation as when he was a child. “It’s the very same. I was here as a little boy in Rineanna and I have the very same feeling at 71 as when I was seven. I love aviation, love everything about it, it just fascinates me. I’d broaden that a bit, I love transport in general, but particularly aviation.”
Despite having provided so many model aircraft to Shannon, he still has many more at home, and he loves working with them.”With the aircraft, I would have to do displays and it might take me months to build a display, but that’s the kind of intensity that I have.”
Several times a week he comes to Shannon to make sure everything is in order with the collection. “I kind of maintain it myself, I’d come three or four days a week. I’d often wonder am I in the way but I don’t think I am.”
He praised the workers at Shannon. “They have been so good to me. Between coming past security, the restaurants, the duty managers, all the workers are so kind to me, it’s just like a second home.”
Owen Ryan
Owen Ryan has been a journalist with the Clare Champion since 2007, having previously worked for a number of other regional titles in Limerick, Galway and Cork.
