JET-FM's new shopfront studios in Shannon Town Centre
Last week in Shannon, Saturday morning was spent catching up with JET-FM in its new location in a retail unit in Shannon Town Centre. Community Radio is an important voluntary movement in Ireland and a real community builder – One of the more successful stations which has led on promoting local issues and exploring the history of Ireland’s first New Town has been JET FM, Shannon Community Radio.
Shannon was unique in Ireland for its diversity and cosmopolitan feel as Ireland’s first new town with a population and workforce for the Shannon Free Zone by the airport which attracted many immigrants from the UK, North America, and South Africa not to mention other parts of Ireland.
JET-FM returned to the airwaves on Saturday, September 5th 2009 on 88.1 FM. It will broadcast on Saturdays only as a further part of the process leading to a full licence from the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland. Broadcasting from new studios in Shannon's Sky Court Shopping Centre, programmes start at 7.54am and continue until 10pm with a mix of music, current affairs and special interest shows.
Community Radio is largely run by volunteers and with the support of a full-time station manager and perhaps a part-time administrator. In the initial stages of service and until sources of funding harden up, stations are usually run completely on a voluntary basis.
Operating costs are met from sponsorships and various forms of fund raising carried out at a station level. There is no central support from National or Local Government for the provision of Community Radio; however some support is available for training.
Paul Ryan "Plane Talking"
Community Radio is a real community builder with a non-commercial agenda involving items of local interest; some idea of the wide range of programming can be obtained from a typical day’s output shown below.
Schedule Saturday September 19th 2009
08:00 Musical Jewels - Marion Halpin 09:00 Saturday Breakfast- John Sherlock, Mary Margaret O'Dea & Brendan Healy 10:00 Plane Talking with Paul Ryan. 11:30 Health & Parenting - with Grainne Ryan 12:00 Anything Goes with Tony Liston and Seamus Moore 13:00 Saturday Lunch - with Andrew Kelly 14:00 Cultures & Customs - with Tony McMahon 15:00 Back to Basics - beating the recession in style. 15:30 SportsNet with Paul Horan and his expert panel. 17:00 The Arts Show - with Tina G 18:00 Ceol 's Caint le Seamus O'Rian 19:00 The West Wind - Jim Armour 20:00 Keeping it Country - Frank Connaire 21:00 Jet Sounds with Ciaran Barrett 22:00 Sonic Boom with Rory Quin 23:00 Closedown
Paddy Halton on the control deck
When I was there last Saturday week Paul Ryan was being his avuncular self hosting the magazine programme “Plane Talking” with the Mayor of Shannon, no less, as one of his guests. For her programme on health issues following afterwards Grainne Ryan covered items of interest including the expected surge in Swine Flu with local schools reopening. A valid concern because you never know where teachers have been during the summer! The Station Chairman, Paddy Halton, meanwhile was manning the control booth and this interloper’s main function was to provide coffee and bacon butties! It has entirely voluntary staffing and goes out on 88.1 FM and on the internet and as well as helping community identity it provides valuable media training for those involved. It is good to see JET-FM having a very visible and public “shop window” in the centre of this unique town and I hope Shannon Community Radio helps to sustain Shannon’s sense of identity for many years to come.
Jet-FM - Shannon Community Radio is licensed by the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland. The station may be contacted on 061 362 878 or by email
For those who think this is improbable then you have probably never been at the Lisdoonvarna Matchmaking Festival. Lisdoonvarna in Co Clare is a "Spa" Town noted for the undrinkable quality of its sulphurous water which tastes like rotten eggs. Traditionally the farming community in the West of Ireland gathered there after the harvest in September and the Matchmaking became a serious matter with the number of acres and store bullocks on the table in the "Match" playing as much a role as the attributes or otherwise of the two parties to the Match.
We're fundraising for the radio with a confined closed draw - 300 Members 12 draws - 60 prizes good prospects! €5 per month - 12 months or 12 draws.
Would you like to be included?
Thanks,
P
Podge,
We all want to be included - it's a basic human need!! However, you are today taking advantage of a vulnerable and frail human being.
I spent the weekend painting myself and occasionally the walls, ceiling and skirting, not fixing cabinets with the shitty little fixings they give you etc; My gift for DIY is similar to Van Gogh's ear for music!! Bad you may say? Depressed you may say? Well you may say this, but like the say in Springhill, Nova Scotia, worse was to come.
For I celebrated the dawn of a bright new day (and even brighter bathrooms) by stepping confidently onto the new hygienic plastic duckboard my present wife had procured and before you could say "Cresta Run" one foot slid forward the other gashed on the metal threshold of the shower and I sprained the arm which was holding the grab handle!
So all day I have been limping about the office doing a passable and heartfelt impersonation of Quasimodo. My colleagues have not commented which I put down to one of two possibilities;
1. I fit in better like this. 2. They don't care.
So the answer to your question is YES, put me in for the Jet-FM lottery and I'll fix up with you in warm Euros when we meet soon! However you can feel no sense of achievement taking advantage of a person whose ebb is so low. I am planning my retaliation and as soon as I find a lottery for the Buckinghamshire Dead Calf Rescue Centre you will be hearing from me!!
Yours in all probability,
DC
JET- FM - A serious note!
Community Radio is an important voluntary movement in Ireland and a real community builder – One of the more successful stations which has led on promoting local issues and exploring the history of Ireland’s first New Town has been JET FM, Shannon Community Radio.
It returns to the airwaves on Saturday, September 5th on 88.1 FM. It will broadcast on Saturdays only as a further part of the process leading to a full licence from the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland. Broadcasting from new studios in Shannon's SkyCourt Centre, programmes will start at 7.54am and continue until 10pm with a mix of music, current affairs and special interest shows.
"Saturday Lunchtime" from noon to 2pm sees the return to the local airwaves of former RTE frontline news presenter Andrew Kelly, with a mix of music from the 70s right through to today. Andrew Kelly has joined Shannon Community Radio's volunteer team as Jet FM station manager. "We have a number of very talented people on the technical, production and presentation teams", he said, and it is our plan to deliver a range of excellent programmes that will entertain and inform, and make Jet FM the station of choice on Saturdays in Shannon, Newmarket and Sixmilebridge".
JetFM - Shannon Community Radio is licensed by the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland. The station may be contacted on 061 362 878 or by email;
manager@shannoncommunityradio.org
Shannon & District Community Radio has been allocated a frequency on the FM band by the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland - this is 88.1FM. Shannon Community Radio. The community radio station, which broadcasts to the Shannon area in County Clare, Ireland on 88.1FM, will be on air every Saturday from 5th September until the end of the year.
This is Shannon Community Radio’s fourth period on air under the BCI’s temporary licence scheme – they first appeared in January 2005. The station has 60 volunteers and is totally financed via subscriptions and donations.
In a telling commentary on the pace of change in the modern world this year they will be celebrating the 70th anniversary of trans-Atlantic air travel in Foynes, Co. Limerick, Ireland. Ireland has a special place in this history as the “next parish” to America. In the late 1930s and early 1940s, Foynes served as the hub for the latest mode of air travel - flying boat - between the US and Europe. Every flying boat leaving or arriving in Europe came through Foynes, and by 1940, Foynes Airport was being visited by the glitterati of the day: Ernest Hemingway, Humphrey Bogart, Eleanor Roosevelt, Douglas Fairbanks, Sr.
Foynes Terminal building
Plotting the Atlantic air routes
Passengers disembarking a flying boat were obliged to endure a boat trip to get to the terminal and sometimes found themselves chilled to the bone in the cold, damp North Atlantic winter. While the flying boats were preparing for the next leg of the journey, passengers recouped at the airport; sometimes they even had to stay overnight during poor weather. So much for glamour. It soon became clear that a first-class restaurant showcasing the best of Irish cuisine was needed. By 1942, the restaurant was operating in full swing with Chef Joe Sheridan.
One chilly night, a flight departed Foynes with stops scheduled in Newfoundland and New York, but adverse weather prompted the captain to turn about and head back to Foynes - not an unusual event, but certainly unpleasant, as it meant another trip in the boat. The restaurant was alerted to have food and drink prepared as the passengers would likely be cold, wretched, and in need of cheer.
Joe Sheridan had coffee prepared and decided to put a little something in it to give the passengers a little kick to get them out of their cold slump - so he added a drop (or two) of Irish whiskey to the brew. A surprised American passenger is said to have asked, "Is this Brazilian coffee?" to which Joe replied, "No, that's Irish coffee!" From that day forward, Irish Coffee became known around the world as the official welcoming drink served at Foynes Airport.
Joe Sheridan
Radio Room
Boeing B314 flying boat replica
If you are heading to Adare in C. Limerick it is worth taking in a trip to Foynes on the Shannon Estuary to the Flying Boat Museum which is housed in the restored terminal building of the Trans Atlantic Flying Boat service which connected this sleepy port town to Botwood in Newfoundland and during the war years to Lisbon, Azores, Bermuda and New York.
Foynes, Ireland, became the center of the aviation world from 1939 to 1945. On July 9th 1939, Pan Am's luxury Flying Boat, the "Yankee Clipper" landed at Foynes. Dining on the Yankee Clipper
During this period, many famous politicians, international businessmen, film stars, active-service-men and wartime refugees passed through Foynes. The site was initially surveyed in 1933 by Colonel Charles Lindbergh and his wife Ann, who landed in Galway Bay flying his Lockheed Sirius. On 21 November 1935 a survey party set out for the West of Ireland and surveyed sites as far north as Athlone and south to Askeaton. Among the sites for a seaplane base which were considered were: the Shannon just below Limerick, Lough Derg, Lough Corrib, Tralee Bay, Kenmare Bay, Lough Ree and Valentia. But it was Foynes, near the mouth of the Fergus River which was finally selected. Its good sheltered anchorage and its proximity to long open stretches of water convinced the surveyors Foynes was the best choice.
The era of the flying boats was colorful but brief. In 1945, hundreds of people watched as Captain Blair piloted the last American Export flying boat out of Foynes to New York. Upon arrival, he turned around and piloted the first landplane, a DC-4, back to open the new airport at Rineanna, later to become Shannon International Airport.
This museum is a good quality and well run visitor attraction with the helpful and friendly staff wearing steward / stewardess uniforms and with a well run cafe serving beverages and snacks surrounded by flying boat memorabilia.
The high point for me was world's only full size Boeing B314 flying boat replica. The originals were all scrapped in 1952 but this faithful replica catches the atmosphere with 7 compartments,(including a honeymoon suite in the tail!) a kitchen and "upstairs" the cockpit and luggage hold. The fact that such large machines flew with the technology of the day is impressive, particularly when you see the rudimentary controls and navigation aids. Boeing B314 Cockpit
Located at the west end of Foynes, the Flying Boat Museum is housed in the original old terminal building and showcases the Radio and Weather Room, complete with transmitters, receivers and Morse code equipment. The exhibits feature an introduction to the first transatlantic passenger service and Foynes during the war years. Berths in Flying Boat Compartments
In 1942, Brendan O'Regan opened a restuarant and coffee shop in the Foynes terminal building and employed a Chef named Joe Sheridan. It was not long before Joe realised that the passengers coming to wait in the terminal in cold and rainy weather needed something to make the coffee a bit stronger. Thus, Irish Coffee was born.
The abandoned line to Foynes and station at Adare Co. Limerick
Other than the museum Foynes is a quiet and unassuming spot. It has a fine railway station and a now disused line from Limerick terminating in a large stone railway station. To me this would make an excellent visitor attraction if a preserved railway could be run from Limerick with the Flying Boat museum acting as a visitor venue at the line's end. With Glin Castle not far away this area is crying out for some imaginative tourist development to provide a "pit stop" on the journey from Limerick to Kerry.
Now for the recipe. Irish whiskey, not Scotch whisky, must be used. Irish whiskey is triple-distilled, giving it a smoother feel, and it is not as smoky as Scotch. But if you have a taste for Scotch, try Connemara Irish whiskey, which is the only peated Irish whiskey. The most common brand of whiskey used is Jameson, which is quite readily available but my own favourite is Tullamore Dew.
Ingredients.
As Oscar Wills Fingal O’Flaherty Wilde would describe them;
Cream as rich as an Irish brogue
Coffee as strong as a friendly hand
Sugar as sweet as the tongue of a rogue
Whiskey as smooth as the wit of the land
But as a bartender would describe them;
1 cupful of strong, hot, black coffee
1 tsp Demerara sugar
1 measure Irish whiskey (Yes, that’s whiskey with an “e”)
1 small carton fresh double cream
Method
1. Heat a stemmed whiskey goblet, put a metal spoon in it and pour enough of the coffee to fill it just over half way.
2. Pour in one jigger of Irish whiskey
3. Add one spoon of brown sugar. Fill with strong black coffee to within one inch of the brim
4. Stir to dissolve the sugar. Top off with whipped cream, slightly aerated, by pouring it over the back of a spoon, so that it floats.
Do not stir after adding the cream as the true flavour is obtained by drinking the hot coffee and Irish whiskey through the cream.
Now the important part of the method is that cream and the coffee stay entirely separate. If you put in the metal spoon first it distributes the heat evenly and stops the glass from breaking. You must stir in the sugar and dissolve it as this changes the consistency of the liquid and ensures the cream floats on top. Then your double cream must be whipped until just stiff. This way the coffee and cream don’t mix and the “effect” of Irish Coffee is achieved by drinking the coffee / whiskey mix through the cream. So you can see why spray creams etc; will NEVER do the job.
Imitation has been the sincerest form of flattery with Irish Coffee spawning a world of speciality liquor coffees but there is none to beat the original, well done. Also for the record Joe used Bewley’s Coffee and Paddy Power’s whiskey for his original coffee. Bewleys were a wonderful Quaker family firm of cafes in Dublin who used to roast the coffee beans in the front window for passer bys to see the spectacle. As a child I didn’t need directions to Bewley’s cafes you just followed the smell of the coffee vented into the street which gave them free sensory advertising!
My favourite Irish coffee story concerns a party of Irish diplomats, including the writer Conor Cruise O’Brien, whose flight back to Ireland was delayed in New York. They were taken to the VIP lounge where a waiter appeared and the following conversation ensued;
Waiter “Coffee, gentlemen?”
Cruise O’Brien “Only if it is like Ireland should be; Not just free but Gaelic also!”
I'm grateful to AS for this extract of actual ads from the Lonely Hearts pages of ' Ireland 's Own' For those who do not know this esteemed periodical it represents an Ireland we know little about and which hardly existed in reality. As such it plays a valuable part in protecting us from alien cultures!
Heavy drinker, 35, Cork area. Seeks gorgeous sex addict interested in a man who loves his pints, cigarettes, Glasgow Celtic Football Club and has been known to start fights on Patrick Street at three o'clock in the morning. ------------------------------ Donegal man, 50, in desperate need of a ride. Anything considered. ------------------------------ Grossly overweight Louth turf-cutter, 42 years old, Gemini, seeks nimble sex-pot, preferably South American, for tango sessions, candlelit dinners and humid nights of screaming passion. Must have own car and be willing to travel. ------------------------------ Limerick man, 27, medium build, brown hair, blue eyes, seeks alibi for the night of February 27 between 8 PM and 11:30 PM. -------------------------- Artistic Clare woman, 53, petite, loves rainy walks on the beach, poetry, unusual sea-shells and interesting brown rice dishes, seeks mystic dreamer for companionship, back rubs and more as we bounce along like little tumbling clouds on life's beautiful crazy journey. Strong stomach essential. -------------------------- Ginger haired Galway man, a troublemaker, gets slit-eyed and shítty after a few scoops, seeks attractive, wealthy lady for bail purposes, maybe more. -------------------------- Bad tempered, foul-mouthed old bastard, living in a damp cottage in the arsé end of Roscommon, seeks attractive 21 year old blonde lady with a lovely chest. ------------------------ Optimistic Mayo man, 35, seeks a blonde 20 year old double-jointed super model, who owns her own brewery and has an open-minded twin sister. -------------------------- Following a sad recent loss, teetotal Tipperary man, 53, seeks replacement Mammy. Must like biscuits and answer to the name Minnie. Thurles area. -------------------------- Bitter, disillusioned Dublin man, lately rejected by long-time fiancée, seeks decent, honest, reliable woman, if such a thing still exists in this cruel world of hatchet-faced bítches
For those who think this is improbable then you have probably never been at the Lisdoonvarna Matchmaking Festival. Lisdoonvarna in Co Clare is a "Spa" Town noted for the undrinkable quality of its sulphurous water which tastes like rotten eggs. Traditionally the farming community in the West of Ireland gathered there after the harvest in September and the Matchmaking became a serious matter with the number of acres and store bullocks on the table in the "Match" playing as much a role as the attributes or otherwise of the two parties to the Match.
This is the official blurb for what is now a six week festival and for the last matchmaker, Willie Daly who runs a riding school (sic) near Ennistymon.
150 years of Matchmaking in Lisdoonvarna
"Matchmaking is one of Ireland's oldest traditions and, for the last couple of hundred years, a good deal of it has taken place in Lisdoonvarna during September and early October.
The name Lisdoonvarna comes from 'Lios Duin Bhearna', which means the lios or enclosure of the fort in the gap. The town developed into a tourist centre as early as the middle of the 18th-century when a top Limerick surgeon discovered the beneficial effects of its mineral waters. People travelled from near and far to bathe in, and drink, the mineral waters. Rich in iron, sulphur and magnesium, the waters gave relief from the symptoms of certain diseases including rheumatism and glandular fever. The Spa Hotel was the centre around which the village developed. The opening of the West Clare Railway contributed towards that development, although the nearest railway station was seven miles away at Ennistymon. This station opened in l887 and from that time onwards, until the advent of the motorcar, tourists travelled from the train in pony and trap to ''The Spa''. It was due to the popularity of these mineral springs and the huge amount of people going there that led to the Lisdoonvarna “matchmaking tradition". September became the peak month of the holiday season and with the harvest safely in, bachelor farmers flocked to Lisdoonvarna in search of a wife. By the 1920s, matchmaking was still in vogue and people continued to come and "take the waters", including many of Ireland's clergy. It was around this time that one of Lisdoonvarna's most famous sayings was coined, describing the town as a place "where parish priests pretend to be sober and bank clerks pretend to be drunk" .
Today, there is just one official Matchmaker left in Co. Clare: Mr. Willie Daly who runs the riding centre outside Ennistymon and practices match making part time. With the exception of the pairings he plans and negotiates, very little genuine matchmaking takes place nowadays. However, Lisdoonvarna’s annual festival has evolved into Europe's largest single's event. People don’t necessarily come to look for a spouse - they come by the thousands in search of a good time. For the month of September, dances run from 12.00 noon each day and carry on into the small hours of the next morning. Set dancing exhibitions are also a feature of the event and there’s live Irish music in most pubs, although getting to the bar can be quite a task, but don't worry or hurry, because the music carries on until the early hours.
If you can afford the time and the money, and you're single, head for Lisdoonvarna this September and early October. You never know - as well as enjoying all of the good-natured fun and grand "craic", you might also find the perfect mate!"
http://www.matchmakerireland.com/
This is so ingrained in Ireland's National Physic it has been immortalised in song by the great Irish singer Christy Moore - Here are some of the words and the Video - If you have left it too late for this year start making your plans for 2009!
Lisdoonvarna
Christy Moore
How's it goin' there everybody, From Cork, New York, Dundalk, Gortahork and Glenamaddy. Here we are in the County Clare It's a long, long way from here to there. There's the Burren and the Cliffs of Moher, the Tulla and the Kilfenora, Miko Russell, Doctor Bill, Willy Clancy, Noel Hill. Flutes and fiddles everywhere. If it's music you want, You should go to Clare.
CHORUS
G C Oh, Lisdoonvarna G C Lisdoon, Lisdoon, Lisdoon, Lisdoonvarna!
Everybody needs a break, Climb a mountain or jump in a lake. Some head off to exotic places, Others go to the Galway Races. Mattie goes to the South of France, Jim to the dogs, Peter to the dance. A cousin of mine goes potholing, A cousin of hers loves Joe Dolan. Summer comes around each year, We go there and they come here. Some jet off to ... Frijiliana, But I always go to Lisdoonvarna.
CHORUS
I always leave on a Thursday night, With me tent and me groundsheet rolled up tight. I like to hit Lisdoon, In around Friday afternoon. This gives me time to get me tent up and my gear together, I don't need to worry about the weather. Ramble in for a pint of stout, you'd never know who'd be hangin' about! There's a Dutchman playing a mandolin, And a German looking for Liam Óg O'Floinn. And there's Adam, Bono and Garrett Fitzgerald, Gettin' their photos taken for the Sunday World. Finbarr, Charlie and Jim Hand, And they drinkin' pints to bate the band. ( why would'nt they for Jasus sake are'nt they getting it for nothing)
CHORUS
The multitudes, they flocked in throngs To hear the music and the songs. Motorbikes and Hi-ace vans, With bottles - barrels - flagons - cans. Mighty craic. Loads of frolics, Pioneers and alcoholics, PLAC, SPUC and the FCA, Free Nicky Kelly and the IRA. Hairy chests and milk-white thighs, mickey dodgers in disguise. Mc Graths, O'Briens, Pippins, Coxs, Massage parlours in horse boxes. There's amhráns, bodhráns, amadáns, Arab sheiks, Hindu Sikhs, Jesus freaks, RTE are makin' tapes, takin' breaks and throwin' shapes. This is heaven, this is hell. Who cares? Who can tell? (Anyone for the last few Choc Ices, now?)
The recent trip to Shannon was a reminder of the importance of this most westerly airport in Europe in the development of transatlantic aviation and its importance as a catalyst to development in the Mid-West region of Ireland. The airport is enjoying something of a boom with new transatlantic operators and Ryanair serving 30 destinations from its Shannon base. The townland of Rineanna, Co Clare had a good reputation back in the early 1930’s as a spot for wild duck and geese shooting along the north side of the Shannon Estuary. The same muddy flat land near the sea which gave the area its ideal hunting qualities also presented the authorities with the large flat terrain which was perfect for aviation.
Transatlantic aviation in the Shannon Estuary first commenced, however, with a seaplane base at Foynes. In October 1935 the Irish Government took a decision to initiate a survey "to find suitable bases for the operation of seaplanes and landplanes on a transatlantic service". The Department of Defence which provided technical advice on aviation to the Civil Aviation Section of the Department of Industry was given the task.
On 21 November 1935 a survey party set out for the West of Ireland and surveyed sites as far north as Athlone and south to Askeaton. Among the sites for a seaplane base which were considered were: the Shannon just below Limerick, Lough Derg, Lough Corrib, Tralee Bay, Kenmare Bay, Lough Ree and Valentia. But it was Foynes, near the mouth of the Fergus River which was finally selected. Its good sheltered anchorage and its proximity to long open stretches of water convinced the surveyors Foynes was the best choice. The site was initially surveyed in 1933 by Colonel Charles Lindbergh and his wife Ann, who landed in Galway Bay flying his Lockheed Sirius. On 21 November 1935 a survey party set out for the West of Ireland and surveyed sites as far north as Athlone and south to Askeaton.
Thoughout World War II would contribute much to aviation, it delayed the development of the new Shannon Airport. During the War, Imperial Airways, the forerunner of B.O.A.C. and later British Airways, operated flights into Shannon from Bristol, to coincide with the flying boats operating to and from Foynes.
By the mid-forties, use of flying boats to carry commercial flights was dying out and by 1946 the airboat facility at Foynes was closed. On 24 October the first scheduled commercial flight flew into Shannon, as an American Overseas Airlines (AOA) DC4 landed from the United States. In 1945 Shannon also began receiving scheduled aircraft from Trans World Airways (TWA) and Pan American Airways (Pan AM0. The location was primarily influenced by nearby Foynes, which served sea-planes. The site was a marsh, but drainage was setup. It is in a prime location for aircraft travelling across the ocean.
Departures
The number of international carriers using Shannon rose sharply in the succeeding years as the airport became well-known for providing the gateway between Europe and the Americas. Limitations of the operating range of aircraft at the time (DC4, DC6, Lockheed 749) necessitated the interruptions of journeys for refueling. Shannon became the most convenient and obvious point before and after the flight across the Atlantic and most of the airport’s income derived from providing fuel, food and accommodation for these aircraft and their passengers.
Shannon was responsible for two important developments in aviation history, Duty Free sales and tax Free Zones. In 1951 the first Airport Duty Free Liquor Shop was opened. It started as a ship’s store where airline stewards purchased supplies for re-sale to passengers when the aircraft became airborne. The same applied to cigarettes and tobacco which began as supplies for crew only. Later, passengers were allowed to make direct purchases at tax free prices on a restricted basis and soon Shannon became, once again, famous for having the only airport duty free shop in the world. In the beginning, Shannon “Duty Free” applied only to liquor and tobacco, but it rapidly developed into an impressively large number of tax – free departments, which is how it remains today.
In 1947 the Irish Government passed the Customs Free Airport Act by which transit and embarking passengers, goods and aircraft were exempt from normal customs procedures. This established Shannon as an International Industrial and Distribution Centre and stimulated further traffic growth. The special status and the connections afforded by Shannon Airport the county attracted many industries to the Shannon Special Zone who when they arrived appreciated the unspoilt natural surroundings and the good communication links and facilities. The Mid-West also became a major centre of tourism spurred on by Shannon Airport and the development of attractions such as Bunratty Castle and Folk Park, Cliffs of Moher, King John’s Castle Limerick and thatched Irish holiday villages. The airport also stimulated Shannon Town, a unique new Town experiment in Ireland which attracted many U.K., South African, American and Canadian residents over the years. Shannon Free Zone is a 243 hectare International Business Park adjacent to Shannon International Airport. Since its establishment in 1959, over 110 overseas companies have located there. Shannon Free Zone is Ireland's largest cluster of North American investments and has a successful track record as a location for international companies wishing to Invest in Europe.
Several terminal improvements have been commissioned throughout the years, most recent being in the year 2000. A new US Border clearance and Customs post is be constructed soon. There are two runways- 06/24 and 13/31. The latter is the main runway, which is 3199m x 45m. The other runway, 13/31 is now closed permanently (It is on the right hand side driving into airport). The length of the runway makes it ideal for handling aircraft of any size - the worlds largest aircraft have visited the airport (Antonov 225 and Airbus A380). Indeed it is the only Irish airport capable of handling the Airbus A380. It is also a NASA shuttle emergency landing site. The airport is located in Shannon town, on a site of 2,000 acres. It is approx 24km North of Limerick City, and 22km South of Ennis.
Apron from viewing gallery
Throughout the 1950’s, aircraft on the North Atlantic were still piston engined. In 1959, however, long range jet aircraft such as the Boeing 720 and Boeing 707 and the DC8 began operating on the route. To ensure that Shannon facilities would serve these new planes well, a new runway was commissioned in 1961 which would have a length of 10,000 feet. However the advent of long range jets meant that Shannon was no longer needed as a refueling stop – as El Al’s advert of the time put it “London-New York direct, No Goose, No Gander!” The airport’s response was to survive by developing cargo, training and maintenance activities. It even did a deal with the Soviet airline Aeroflot to ship its own fuel in and using Shannon as a refueling stop, thereby avoiding using hard currency to pay for fuel. It has also developed Charter business, for instance all American troops heading for Irag and Afghanistan transit through the airport.
TWA Super Connie
There are several handling agents and FBO's at the airport- including Servisair and Signature flight support. CHC Ireland bases a search and rescue Sikorsky helicopter at the airport. The airport is an excellent diversion airport. Aircraft that may encounter medical, technical or indeed security emergencies often divert to Shannon due to its facilities and skilled and professional staff. For the same reason and because of the security its position affords it is often used for VIP flights.These led to one of the more amusing episodes in shannon's history. In July 1994 Russian President, Boris Yeltsin failed to get off the presidential plane in Ireland for a meeting the Irish premier Albert Reynolds. Legend has it that plane had previously circled six times over the airport in the hope that he might sober up before the plane had to land to refuel. The Irish Times cartoonist celebrated this epic state occasion with a cartoon showing an empty bottle of Stoli trundling down the steps. The phrase "circling over Shannon" has since passed into Irish drinking slang where there are acknowledged to be three degrees of drunkenness: Drunk, very drunk and, worse of all, Circling Shannon.
Boris Yeltsin not visiting Shannon! Let's Party!
In 2006, approx 3.6 Million passengers passed through the airport, making it the second busiest in Ireland. 46,721 aircraft movements were recorded, making it the third busiest airport by movements. Around 50,000 tonnes of cargo pass thru the dedicated facility - Air France Cargo, DHL, UPS (Operated by Maersk), TNT and Fedex all operate to the airport, feeding to major cargo hubs. Shannon Airport is currently part of Dublin Airport Authority plc. The DAA is an airport management company with over 3,600 employees and a turnover in excess of €590 million. Headquartered at Dublin Airport, the DAA's principal activities include airport management, operation and development, domestic and international airport retail management and airport investment. The company's domestic operations include the running of Dublin, Cork and Shannon airports.
Planeside View
However from what I saw on the recent trip the airport badly needs better and more focused management and a redesign of the interior and better passenger facilities as it is a drab impersonation of its former glory – indeed the interior is alarmingly 70’s retro and the facilities have not kept up. In the main terminal there is little choice in catering outlets with the main attraction being the morose “Estuary Restaurant” whose main design feature is lines of tray clearing trolleys and whose signature dish is (an expensive) “Full Irish Breakfast” as, no doubt, it has been for the past 40 years. The retail outlets are not great but as I found out infinitely better than the poor offering airside.
To get airside you are obliged to go through a chaotic security area which is cramped and badly laid out with no proper segregation with passengers being searched, interviewed and waiting to collect their belongings all in the same line. Once you get airside it is drab looking with seating dirty & worn and very little to occupy you. The whole place needs redesign and redecoration and could do with more competition for refreshment outlets but it scores with free WFI internet access and an inside viewing area. However there is not much to look at outside as it is not a busy place for aircraft movements. However going up to the viewing gallery is not easy as (in a reflection of the lack of attention to detail and proactive management throughout the airport) one lift was out of order and the other had a red light indicating wrongly that the gallery was closed. The viewing gallery is a huge empty space with a row of seats at one end and is a huge waste. Shannon has a great story to tell but no where is it told properly – this empty space is crying out for a properly themed professional exhibition on Shannon’s role in aviation history.
The toilets throughout the airport are grubby, smelly and in need of a heavy clean although a complete refit to modern standards would serve them better. Also complete sections seem to be closed for the convenience of cleaning staff. Escalators and lifts appear to be out of order with no explanatory signs and it follows no sense of urgency about the inconvenience to passengers.
However the biggest disappointment was in the Duty Free Shop where I had to pinch myself to remember that this was where the concept was invented and where the Shannon Sales and Catering Organisation ran the Shannon Mail Order Company, Castles Banquets and the Shannon College of Hotel Management and set up Duty Free Shops in other countries. Reflecting the rest of the airport the display is chaotic, grubby and disorganized, a reminder of how much retailing has moved on elsewhere. It took me ten minutes to pay for 3 (non duty free items) at a cash register which was filthy and dust covered. I then wanted to buy a paper and the total selection at this “International” airport was the Irish Times and the Examiner, there wasn’t even a selection of Irish let alone international papers. I didn’t buy in the end as there was a queue of 14 people and one pay point.
I believe Shannon Airport has no idea how far removed its current customer offering is from the Best in Class. It is shabby, old fashioned and a poor customer offering – even more so when contrasted with its history of innovation and its reputation for customer service established under the late Brendan O’Regan who died not long ago. It needs a new start with being run independently, with new investment and I would suggest new management because it has the wrong type of staff in the wrong places. If you want to see a successful airport with quality design and facilities which acts as a superb showcase for its country look no further than Malta’s Luqa airport which is the best I’ve seen in Europe. Shannon has a great history but that is not enough for it now needs to capture the future and once again set the pace and standard. I hope it will because the region and Ireland deserve no less.
Shannon Town
This Map is copyright and is used with permission. It is from the superb Shannon Town Centre Map by www.truenorthmapping.com which incorporates a great deal of local history including the site of the 15 plane crashes over the years around the airport. The company has just produced another excellent map of Ennis & Clarecastle and has a Burren map coming out this summer.
A good source of factual information is the official town site;
Off at the weekend on a flight into Shannon Airport to visit to my favourite Irish county. Clare is a county of great variety and natural beauty with the west, dominated by the Atlantic, with the seaside resorts of Kilkee and Lahinch, the Cliffs of Moher and the Burren National Park. The east of the county is heavily influenced by the River Shannon and beautiful Lough Derg, with its ancient monastic sites. Ennis is the county town, an Information Age Town and a thriving centre which, with its narrow streets and historic buildings, has a continental athmosphere with attractive pubs, cafes and restaurants and an eclectic selection of retailers. Shannon and its airport have been the focus of economic activity in the region for the past forty years. The creation of the Shannon Free Zone was a unique initiative which has been replicated throughout the world. The resulting cluster of multinational firms located at and around Shannon has boosted investment in the county's infrastructure over the years. Shannon was a purpose built new town but it also attracted a diverse cosmopolitan population of South Africans, English, Americans and Canadians which made it a unique catalyst for change in the otherwise homogeneous Ireland of the 60’s and 70’s. West Clare is particularly renowned as a centre for Irish culture - particularly music and dance - and hosts several music and literary festivals each year. Because of its dramatic natural beauty combined with the access to the cities of Limerick and Galway, Ennis and the connections afforded by Shannon Airport the county has always attracted an electric mix of “settlers” artists, writers, entrepreneurs and retirees attracted by the combination of a relaxed lifestyle in unspoilt natural surroundings and the good communication links and facilities. It has also become a major centre of tourism spurred on by Shannon Airport and the development of attractions such as Bunratty Castle and Folk Park, Cliffs of Moher, King John’s Castle Limerick and thatched Irish holiday villages. It contains many fine hotels, such as Dromoland Castle and outstanding golf links.
However the overriding story of Clare has been one of emigration and depopulation. The population of 225,000 at the 1822 census had declined to 106,000 by 1996. In recent times with the economic boom in Ireland known as the “Celtic Tiger” this trend has reversed and Ireland for the first time in many generations is experiencing net immigration and population growth. Capitalising on this trend and as part of its efforts to regenerate the region the local development body, Shannon Development, has started to develop E-Villages as integral parts of local communities to attract professionals to ready made work / live developments which will reinforce local communities. Shannon Development is the Irish Government agency responsible for economic development in Ireland’s Shannon Region. The objective of the E-Towns initiative is to enable people to achieve a life/work balance in tailor-made accommodation and bring new economic activity back into local communities. Ireland’s first E-Town is Miltown Malbay, in picturesque West Clare close to the popular seaside resorts of Lahinch, Liscannor and Spanish Point.
E-Towns is a Shannon Development initiative to develop a "21st century model" for the ongoing and future development of smaller communities in the Shannon Region. Its primary aim is to help disperse economic activity and job creation to smaller population centres (by stimulating the development of a complimentary enterprise culture based on the attraction of established urban micro businesses).
Miltown Malbay is a beautiful coastal town situated in North-West Clare and is a popular loction for business people wishing to work and live in a countryside setting with access to the nearby amentiies of a City location. Its year round population stands at 1200, though in the summer months this swells considerably, as it plays host to the largest Irish music summer school in the world. The greater iBrickane area, which also incorporates Quilty, Mullagh and Spanish Point, has a permanent population of approximately 3000 people. The words music and culture have long been associated with the locality. But over 200 years ago, the area became a popular holiday destination thanks to its golden stretch of beach at Spanish Point and the beaches at Seafield and White Strand. Outdoor pursuits are well catered for locally with angling, surfing, swimming, boating, golfing, dolphin-watching, bird watching and pony trekking all available nearby.
Miltown Malbay is a 40 minutes drive from Ennis, the County town of Clare and a 60 minutes drive from Shannon International Airport. Hence, it has proved a popular location for business people wishing to work and live in a countryside setting. Today, the iBrickane area boasts almost 200 businesses including several information technology enabled businesses, which have established themselves locally over the last 10 years.
Branded the "Courtyard" or "Cuirt na dTonnta" (Courtyard of the waves) in Gaelic, the physical elements of the project are a small-integrated complex of workspace and residential accommodation, consisting of a combination of detached, three storey and semi-detached houses, with wired for broadband office space. The live-work accommodation is available for sale and targeted specifically at established micro-businesses within the traded services sector, e.g. graphic design, consultancy, web design, publishing and professional services. Up to 12 businesses can be accommodated in each E-Town location with the long term potential of generating significant employment and local added-value.
Walking around the development by Murray O’Laoire, Architects I was impressed at how well the E Village is integrated into the local community. The units echo the vernacular style of the area where houses on the exposed Atlantic coast are built solidly to withstand the elements and provide the essentials of shelter and warmth. Simplicity and authentic natural materials are emphasised with elevations of off white rough cast plaster under welsh blue slate roofs. Interest is added by use of natural timber planking and Nordic Pine window sections with sensible aluminium cill protectors to protect against the salt laden marine climate. For the same reason there are aluminium fascia and soffits. Inside, the planning is simple and intelligent with a high standard of finishes and plentiful sockets and good quality kitchens and bathrooms. The workspaces are finished to a shell and core specification and have accessible toilets and excellent natural lighting pointing to their attractiveness to artists, media and web specialists. The feeling is both of understated quality and solidity. The development is well integrated into Miltown Malbay so it will not be a incomers ghetto but a valued neighbour and part of the community.
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