Aviation: into the west – Rineanna and the jumbo jet

On 9 July 1965, along the broad estuary where Ireland’s longest river completes its westward journey towards the Atlantic Ocean, the Taoiseach Seán Lemass spoke at a luncheon at Shannon Airport. Twenty-six years in operation, the transatlantic airport, built on marsh and bog before and during World War II, had by now spawned a six-year old industrial estate and a four-year old housing complex on Drumgeely Hill, the beginning of Shannon New Town. The luncheon marked the opening of five new factories at the industrial estate, and the sentiment was high.