The statue of Alcock and Brown at London's Heathrow airport was this week moved from its home at Heathrow over to Clifden to mark the centenary of the first non-stop transatlantic flight from North America to Europe.
The limestone statue was commissioned by the British Government and designed and sculpted by artist William McMillen. It was unveiled at Heathrow in 1954. It features the pilots dressed in aviator clothes, including caps and goggles. The statue weights one tonne and is 11 feet high and almost four feet wide.
A transportation casket was specially commissioned to safely transport the statue to Clifden. It will be exhibited at the Abbeyglen Castle Hotel in Clifden for the next eight weeks, in the run-up to the centenary anniversary on June 15. The British Ambassador of Ireland Adrian O’Neill; Brian Hughes of Abbeyglen Castle Hotel; and Tourism Ireland’s Des Burke were at Heathrow to see the statue off to Ireland.
Tourism Ireland is promoting the Alcock & Brown 100 Centenary Festival, which takes place from June 11 to 16, to prospective holidaymakers in Britain.
