Planes, boats and Irish coffee
What do flying boats, currachs and Irish Coffee all have in common? They are all featured at a unique museum in Foynes, County Limerick.
Recently upgraded and improved, County Limerick’s Foynes Flying Boat and Maritime Museum is located 40 minutes from Limerick City. The museum pays homage to a golden era of air travel in the 1930s and 40s, when luxurious flying boats flew the Atlantic, flying into Foynes on a regular basis.
The museum features a full-size replica of a Boeing 314 Clipper flying boat, a luxury airliner which even features a honeymoon suite. The Clipper flew into neutral Ireland throughout World War 2, with service ending in 1945.
In addition to the Clipper replica, the museum now features a 100-seat theatre, a flying boat flight simulator and a research centre/library. Photography displays and memorabilia are used to tell of the story of this era; among the famous people who arrived at Foynes during its life as a Clipper stop were Eleanor Roosevelt, Charles Lindbergh, John F Kennedy, Ernest Hemingway and Humphrey Bogart.
The flying boat component of the museum is impressive enough, but it isn’t the only focus. The maritime museum looks at the history of the section of the River Shannon from Limerick to Loop Head. It features exhibits showing how currachs and gondolas were made and has an exhibit on weather and tides monitoring.
In addition to the flying boat and maritime components, the museum has an exhibit celebrating the late actor Maureen O’Hara. On display are over 750 dresses from her personal and professional collection as well as hundreds of pairs of shoes and handbags. What is the connection between O’Hara and Foynes? Her husband Charlie Blair flew Clippers into the airport in the forties. The exhibition features the famous kitchen from the film The Quiet Man, which starred O’Hara and John Wayne.
Last, but not least, the museum features an Irish Coffee Centre. The iconic drink is said to have its origins in Foynes. The story is that a flight leaving from Foynes for Newfoundland was forced to turn back due to nasty weather. The passengers ended up at the airport restaurant, and the chef was asked to give them something to warm them up. He put some Irish whiskey into their coffee, and Irish Coffee was born.
There are several options for getting to the Museum. The Bus Eireann (Ireland’s national bus company) 314 route runs through Foynes. For route information, visit their website by clicking here.
If you are arriving by car, Foynes is in the western part of County Limerick, approximately 35km from Limerick City on the N69 route from Limerick to Tralee.
While Foynes has a proud aviation tradition, it no longer has an airport. However, nearby is Shannon International Airport. From there you can travel by car or bus to Limerick on the N18, and then on to Foynes via N69.
To visit the Foynes Flying Boat and Maritime Museum website, click here.
