Last week in the IRISH TIMES Mary O’Rourke suggested that Dublin Airport be named after Sean Lemass whose many services to Ireland included the establishment of Aer Lingus.
I’d warmly support the idea. But ” Lemass Airport”. would be
more in keeping with the man’s style, short and to the point.
This week has witnessed the first mid-air refuelling of a manned aircraft from an unmanned drone.
Some of the first re-fuelling, if not the very first were over the Shannon in the 1930s and some of Mr Lemass’s colleagues, including his Chief were physically and hair-raisingly involved.
I quote –
“The British were also experimenting with refuelling in the air, Sir Alan Cobham had been a pioneer of this novel but dangerous experiment. I was present with my
father to see such an operation carried out. A land plane based at Rineanna, a ‘Harrow bomber’ was converted into a tanker. ‘Canopus’ one of the Short flying
boats, was due to be refuelled in the air, and then set out on its transatlantic flight…..
We were driven to Rineanna to see the Harrow made ready. As we stood around in a group one of the British officials thought it would be a good idea if my father
and his party were to view the operation from the air.
My father was very reticent. He thought we were going up in the Harrow, or the aircraft being refuelled and he knew well the risks and great dangers of the operation. Sean Lydon….quickly reassured him neither he or his party would be aboard either of the planes in the operation. Lydon was a trusted and indispensable help and friend to Sean Lemass ……..
We made or way back to Foynes and took a motor launch to the Short flying boat Maia which had been stripped of all its seats and internal fittings and
sat on the bare hull. There were no safety straps.”
To summarise the Maia was captained by a senior officer of Imperial Airways and an Australian Colleague who became an Air Vice Marshal in the British
Air Force. The narrator was Terry, the teenage son of Eamon, de Valera, and the passengers were Frank Aiken, Oscar Traynor and his young son Colm,
Sean Lydon.
The Maia, banked to observe the mid air fuelling, almost collided with the tanker and half the irish Cabinet, two of their teenage sons and a senior Civil
servant were thrown about on top of each other.
Sean Lemass was part of a team and not the only one with a close interest in the development of air transport. Perhaps Shannon Airport should be
named Shannon De Valera Airport.
And Knock Airport, one of the many successful projects which was supported by Charles Haughey should be named after him.
I realize that a great coalition of Begrudgers would expunge the names of De Valera and Haughey from history.
I understand my paternal grandfather never used an expression stronger that “Confound” to condemn even the lowest element of humanity.
So I’ll eschew the demotic expression I would normally employ and shout “CONFOUND THE BEGRUDGERS!”
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