Foynes Flyingboat Museum

Pam Ams first commercial flyingboat the ‘Yankee Clipper’ landed at Foynes in 1939. The 2000 mile journey had taken just over 25 hours which was incredible compared to the 8-9 days it was taking by sea at the time. The excitement, craziness and prestige is captured in newsreel footage shown in the museums 1940s styled cinema. Air travel then was expensive, luxurious and glamorous. The preserve of politicians, business men and movie stars......

Like our own Maureen O’Hara who was married to dashing pilot Captain Charlie Blair who flew the last scheduled flying boat from Foynes to New York in 1945. Returning the next day in the first landplane a DC-4 to Rineanna, now Shannon International Airport just across the estuary. The history of Foynes, the centre of world aviation at the time, is colourfully depicted and recreated meticulously, down to the red fire buckets, in the Foynes Flyingboat Museum housed in the original terminal building.

Complete with radio and weather room, there were no on-board computers then which certainly doesn’t seem to have put the children off judging by their fantastic drawings pinned up in the simulator room. You can try your hand at flying a flying boat for yourself, somehow taking off and landing on water seems safer? If you need to settle your nerves afterwards you can try an Irish Coffee , invented one night in 1942 ‘to warm’ up damp passengers.

But the real jewel in the crown is the full size reproduction size Yankee Clipper Flyingboat cleverly displayed outside on water, as if it had just landed. You can go aboard and check out the facilities for yourself, like the private honeymoon suite at the back of the aircraft, now there’s a thing you would never find on Ryanair

10 Other things to do and see in the area....

1 Take the ferry from Tarbert to Killimer to explore West Clare, a 30 minute roll on roll off daytime service.

2 Vandaleur gardens visit these lovley old walled 'forgotten gardens' which once belonged to the Kilrush Estate.

3 Take a cruise from Kilrush with Discover Dolphins who boast a 98% success rate(only in Ireland)or explore Scattery Island, a pocket history of Ireland from the Armada to the Vikings and WW2.

4 Or wander down the street to the Foynes Inn for a pint or a nice lunch, Cathy doesnt have a menu, as everything is freshly cooked on the day.

5 Or picnic n Curragh Chase on the way back to Limerick, an old abandoned country estate now managed by Coillte, adm €5 per car.

6 Adare Village browse around this pretty village with thatched cottages, great photo opportunities.

7 Adare Manor stay at this luxurious 5 star castle and golf hotel, if its good enough for Tiger Woods?

8 Isobels Boutiqueand while the cat's away the girls can play in this gorgeous boutique....

9 The Mustard Seed dine out in this fabulous restaurant, renowned for its organic vegatables and locally sourced meat and fish

10 Lough Gur is an enchanted lake site with evidence of continous habitation going back a mere 5500 years. Watch the video below to whet your appetite.

Stone Circle

Stone Circle Lough Gur video

For more information Foynes Flyingboat Museum click here.