Tag Archives: Shannon airport

ARMED gardaí are in Shannon Airport at all times and are constantly vigilant regarding potential threats, the head of the Clare Garda Division John Kerin said this week. Chief Superintendent Kerin also said that following events in Paris last Friday night, meetings are taking place this week to review procedures. However, he said gardaí are confident in the security operation already in place and there is no specific threat to Shannon. For many years, US military aircraft have landed at Shannon, which has led to some concerns about it being a potential target for terror. In January, following the Charlie Hedbo slayings, radical Muslim preacher Anjem Choudary warned that Ireland could be targeted due to the American use of the airport. Regarding the strength of the operation at Shannon he said, “There’s a full-time policing operation in place at the airport and we work very closely with the airport management and all the people who work there to create as …

US Ambassador Kevin O’Malley is paying a visit to Clare next Monday. Ambassador O’Malley will have lunch with Shannon Chamber of Commerce on the day. Meanwhile, US consular officials will be in Shannon on Thursday, November 12 to provide specific services for American citizens in the area. In a statement, the US Embassy said representatives from the US Embassy will be providing consular services in Shannon on the day in the Radisson Park Inn, Shannon Airport. “During the outreach, we will be accepting US passport applications, Consular Report of Birth Abroad (CRBA) applications and performing notary services,” a statement from the US Embassy explained. US citizens wishing to schedule an appointment for the outreach day in Shannon should send an email to Dublinoutreach@state.gov by next Tuesday at 3pm. People should include their name, telephone number and email address and which service is required (passport/CRBA/notary). The US Embassy Dublin Consular Section will then make contact with available appointment times.

DR Brendan O’Regan is always spoken about as the most central figure in the development of Shannon, following a glittering career. On the day marking the 70th anniversary of the first transatlantic into Shannon Airport, it is appropriate to recall his invaluable contribution to the airport and the country at large. Born in Sixmilebridge in 1917, his father bought the Old Ground Hotel in Ennis and urged the young Brendan to go into hotel management. He made his name managing the Falls Hotel in Ennistymon and the St Stephen’s Green Club in Dublin, before being appointed as catering comptroller at the Foynes Flying Boat base. Two years later, he was transferred to the still new Rineanna Airport and he would open the world’s first duty-free shop, selling Irish whiskey to arriving passengers. Sent to a conference on the post-war Marshall Plan, he was struck by inspiration on the way home. “Because I knew that my report for the Irish Government …

SHANNON International Airport is one of Ireland’s greatest success stories. It has had a pivotal role in the development of the Mid-West and even further afield; opening the doors to industry and employment and underpinning the economy of the region. Shannon Airport has given birth to a town of its name and helped, directly and indirectly, to support small communities, which otherwise would have slipped into oblivion. Having an international airport on our own doorstep is a huge advantage. It has set County Clare apart from other western counties, as a place where journeys begin and end, where passengers transit en route to and from far-flung places. On Thursday, May 18, 1939, the first aircraft to land at the then Rineanna Airport was the Irish Air Corps’ Aero Anson A43. Less than two months later, the first passenger aircraft landed at Rineanna on July 11, a Belgian airliner (a tri-motor Savoia Marchetti S-73 of Sabena). However, it was the first …

THE rope ladder used by TDs Mick Wallace and Clare Daly to gain access to an unauthorised area of Shannon Airport is set for a new life with the scouts in Clare. On Wednesday evening, the infamous ladder was presented to the 1st and 4th Clare Scout Group, following an order by Judge Patrick Durcan made in Ennis District Court. Both Deputies Wallace and Daly were convicted of entering a restricted area of the airport on July 22 last year and during the trial, Deputy Wallace had asked for the rope ladder to be returned to him. This week, Ennis District Court heard an application for the rope ladder, which had been in Shannon Garda Station since the trial, to be forfeited permanently. Karen Kelleher, county programming co-ordinator with Clare Scouts, said they are delighted to receive the rope ladder. “We didn’t know that this was going to happen. All donations to Clare Scouts are always gratefully accepted.” While the …

Tourism Ireland in Britain is partnering with Aer Lingus this month, to promote flights to Shannon Airport. Advertisements are highlighting “the untamed coast of Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way” and good value fares to Shannon for the autumn and winter months. The ads – which feature a wonderful image of the Cliffs of Moher – are running in major titles including The Independent, The Times, the Guardian, Observer, Metro and London Evening Standard. Working closely with airlines and airports to build demand for flights is a key priority for Tourism Ireland. Vanessa Markey, Tourism Ireland’s head of Great Britain, said: “We are delighted to co-operate with Aer Lingus to drive demand for its service from London Heathrow to Shannon, to help grow tourist numbers to Co Clare and the West of Ireland. As an island, the importance of convenient, direct, non-stop flights cannot be overstated – they are absolutely critical to achieving growth in inbound tourism. “Great Britain is the largest …

Aer Lingus has given Shannon Airport a boost with 55,000 additional seats on services for summer 2016. The increases are to Heathrow (35,000 seats), Faro (10,000 seats) and Malaga (10,000 seats). This is in addition to their 20% increase in capacity announced earlier this year for both Heathrow and Lanzarote, which kicks in for the 2015 winter season and will see 25,000 extra seats on London and 1,300 seats to Lanzarote. Aer Lingus’ for summer 2016 plan spell good news for people seeking a summer sun holiday, as the airline responds to market demand by increasing services to Faro from three to four flights weekly and Malaga from two to three flights weekly. Shannon Airport CEO Neil Pakey said, “This is a really positive move for what are very popular services from Shannon. London Heathrow is our busiest service and the increased capacity on the larger A320 aircraft here is very much in response to demand. In all, Aer Lingus …

MOST people in Clare will have grown up without thinking anything unusual about aircraft crossing the Atlantic from North America to Shannon every day of the week but when the first passenger plane made the journey on October 24, 1945, it was a massive event. ‘TRANS OCEAN FLIGHTS’ screamed the lead headline on the following weekend’s Clare Champion, with sub-headlines of ‘New Air Service to Rineanna’ and ‘Clippers Defy Gale’ beneath it. The accompanying report said, “The Flagship ‘London’ of the American Airlines system landed at Rineanna at 3.30pm on Wednesday, thus inaugurating the land plane passenger service between America and Europe. Taking off from La Guardia Airport at New York on Tuesday night and calling at Gander Airport in Newfoundland, it flew the North Atlantic in half a gale in eight hours and twenty minutes. It was followed an hour later by a second Skymaster of the same Line. “The Irish and American flags fluttered from the fuselage of …