WATCH: Taoiseach Leo Varadkar officially opens redeveloped Foynes Flying Boat and Maritime Museum

AN TAOISEACH Leo Varadkar and Minister Heather Humphreys have officially opened the redeveloped and expanded Foynes Flying Boat and Maritime Museum.

The Foynes Flying Boat & Maritime Museum, the largest of its kind in the world, captures the story of how Foynes became one of the world’s great aviation hubs of the world between 1937 and 1945 when the waters of the Shannon Estuary launched Ireland’s first commercial transatlantic services.

It is also the home of Irish coffee.

The recently-completed project received funding of €1.75 million under the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund (RRDF) while an additional €1.75 million was provided by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media. A further €1.5 came from other sources, including the museum itself, Limerick City and County Council and from corporate sponsorship.

Speaking at the official opening in Foynes, the Taoiseach said: “It’s great to be back in Foynes to officially open the redeveloped and expanded Foynes Flying Boat and Maritime Museum. This is one of my favourite museums in Ireland, and which tells the remarkable story of how Foynes pioneered transatlantic flight, with those remarkable flying boats carrying passengers between Ireland and the US in the 1930s and 1940s.

“The museum has been extensively redesigned with significant investment from the Government. There’s a 100-seater cinema, new exhibition rooms with state-of-the-art technology, flight simulators, a research centre, and a Tourism Information Office. This is a really good example of the Government’s commitment to regional development, ensuring that every part of Ireland enjoys the benefits of tourism, and the employment that tourism brings.

“The report of the Shannon Estuary Economic Taskforce identified tourism as a future growth industry for the region. I believe attractions like this wonderful museum will help to encourage more visits to the region by sea and by air, thus strengthening Shannon Airport and Shannon Foynes Port. It also ties in well with our plans to re-open the railway line between Limerick and Foynes.”

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With the support of €1.75 million from the Department’s Rural Regeneration and Development Fund, this museum has undergone a major transformation over the past two years.

The development also incorporates the Maureen O'Hara Exhibition celebrating the late actor's career achievements, her personal memorabilia, and her family links to the Museum as well as her Oscar gong. 

The new library features aviation publications dating back to the 1930s whilst the Archive features original hand-drawn weather maps from 1937 to 1946, hundreds of newspapers, aviation artefacts and the Foynes Port inventory of every aircraft that came in and out of Foynes.

PICTURES: Arthur Ellis