Philip’s Shannon-inspired art exhibition takes off in airport

AN exhibition entitled ‘Rineanna/Shannon, Time Past,’ by renowned Clare-based artist Philip Brennan, will run for six weeks in the airport’s transit lounge.

The paintings, which were influenced by a collection of photos taken at the airport from the 1930s onwards, depict aircraft from a bygone era and the airport environs.

Wings of both metal and feather feature in this series of water colour paintings by the Newmarket-on-Fergus native, due to the airport’s location in the original townland of Rineanna which means “meeting place of the birds”.

Speaking about the collection, Philip said, “I have been working on this project since 2018 and am finally delighted to have it completed and on display in the very place it was inspired by.

“Since 1974, I have spent a great amount of time in the environs of the airport and have lived nearby since then.

“In that time, I’ve done a lot of observation of the bird life at the estuary and the airport lagoon. In the mid-eighties, I was taken on as the airport ornithologist to advise on bird hazard issues as well as being involved in the relocation of wildlife found on the airport grounds.

“The spur to start this collection came from old photos that featured all sorts of activities since those early days at the airport, from the building of ‘The Base,’ as it was called locally, to the sowing and harvesting of grain crops.

“All of these things have contributed invaluable material for this project. Of course, it is an enormous topic, and this show just scratches the surface. However, it is a start.”

Officially launching the exhibition in the airport transit lounge, CEO of the Shannon Airport Group, Mary Considine said, “Given his work over the past 35 years as our airport ornithologist, and his love of the airport and its wildlife, it is so fitting to host these wonderful works from Philip’s collection here at Shannon Airport.

“This is a unique opportunity to engage the public in local art, while visually communicating that rich history of aviation, innovation, and biodiversity that all forms part of Shannon’s story.

“We are extremely proud to house this collection over the next six weeks and would encourage passengers to take the time to relax and enjoy these very poignant works of art.”