Foynes is a town of 500 people (2022) on the southern bank of the Shannon Estuary in County Limerick.
Understand
[edit]Foynes as a port has a long history, being first surveyed in 1837, and is now the location of a major deep water seaport.
During the late 1930s and early 1940s, land-based planes lacked sufficient flying range for Atlantic crossings. Foynes was the last port of call on its eastern shore for seaplanes. As a result, Foynes became one of the biggest civilian airports in Europe during World War II. Surveying flights for flying boat operations were made by Charles Lindbergh in 1933 and a terminal was begun in 1935. Services to New York, Southampton, Montreal, Poole and Lisbon followed, the first non-stop New York service operating on 22 June 1942 in 25 hours 40 minutes.
While Irish Coffee is claimed to have been invented in San Francisco, it was made popular in that city a decade after it had been invented at Foynes in 1943 when the Brendan O'Regan's chef and bartender, Joe Sheridan, was asked to make something hot for passengers whose flying boat had turned back due to bad weather. O'Regan was Catering Comptroller between 1943-1945 and afterwards held the same position at Shannon Airport where he established the world's first duty-free shop amongst his innovations.
Get in
[edit]Bus Éireann route number 314 provides a few journeys a day to Limerick via Askeaton. In the opposite direction, there are buses to Glin with a weekend service to Tralee and a summer service to Ballybunion.
Foynes is located on the N69 "coast road" to Tarbert and Tralee in County Kerry.
Get around
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See
[edit]- 1 Foynes Flying Boat & Maritime Museum, ☏ +353 696 5416. Apr-Oct: Tu-Su 10AM-5PM. This displays the Shannon's role in early transatlantic aviation. In the 1930s sea-planes had greater range than land aircraft, and more chance of surviving a ditching. Foynes opened as an airport in 1937: sea-planes took 12 hours eastbound from their last staging post in Newfoundland, and 15 hours westbound against the Atlantic headwinds. Flying was cold, miserable and very expensive, so those who passed through Foynes were the rich and famous, and it's claimed that Irish Coffee was invented here to revive them. By 1946 Shannon Airport had developed on the river's north bank and land aircraft flew faster and further, so the sea-plane service closed. The museum's maritime section covers the history of shipping on the Shannon. Adult €15, conc €13, child €8.
- 2 Knockpatrick Gardens, Croaghane V94 XT6F (2 km south of Foynes), ☏ +353 87 948 5651. Apr-Oct: daily 10AM-6PM. 3-acre (1.2 hectares) garden overlooking the Shannon Estuary, almost 100 years old. Lots of rhododendrons, camellias, azaleas, bamboos, primulas and poppies plus tree ferns and grasses. Adult €67, child free.
