Eileen Mannion, Fine Gael Councillor for Connemara North has welcomed the approval for the use of the Cleggan Airstrip for a ‘fly in’ as part of the Alcock and Brown centenary commemoration.
The air strip in Cleggan, Connemara is owned by the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht. Galway West TD and Minister for the Irish Language, the Gaeltacht and the Islands, Seán Kyne has this week granted permission for the use of the airstrip as part of the centenary celebrations of the first non-stop transatlantic flight.
The ‘Alcock and Brown 100’ festival will see a full re-enactment of the 1919 landing and part of the celebrations include a ‘fly in’ involving several aircraft at the Cleggan Airfield on Saturday, 15th June.
“I am delighted that Minister Seán Kyne has approved the use of the Cleggan Airfield during the Alcock and Brown 100 festival. Clifden and North West Connemara has the privilege of being closely associated with the first non-stop transatlantic flight, a momentous milestone in the history of aviation,” said Cllr Mannion.
“The approval from Minister Kyne and the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht for the use of the airfield will enhance the wonderful festival that the ‘Alcock and Brown 100’ organisers have planned. The re-enactment of the 1919 landing and the ‘fly in’, involving a number of aircraft will bring to life this feat of engineering for the communities of Connemara and beyond.”
“I would like to commend Galway County Council, who will provide a fire tender for the ‘fly in’, as well as various staff from organisations, including Ireland West Airport, who will help ensure the ‘fly in’ is a success that will be remembered for years to come,” she said.
