Remembering the long history between Shannon, the West of Ireland, and America, a contingent from Shannon Airport traveled to the US this March to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.
Generation after generation of visitors and emigrants from both countries have traveled through Shannon, leading to a strong bond between the US and this region of Ireland.
Emphasizing the benefits of traveling to Shannon, where visitors will position themselves immediately on Ireland’s west coast along the Wild Atlantic Way, the group journeyed to both New York and to Boston to spread the good words on the its unique attractions to tourists and businesses alike.
“Our relationship with America has strong and deep ties,” said Shannon Group’s Chief Commercial Officer Andrew Murphy. “But we don’t take that relationship for granted. It’s important that we show our appreciation to the thousands of Americans that visit our area each year and we want to highlight the attractions of travel to Shannon Airport and the incredible culture, history and landscape on our doorstep.”
The Shannon Group's US trip began in New York where they sponsored the Ireland US Council luncheon on March 16. They were also the guests of New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio at the St Patrick’s Day breakfast at Gracie Mansion, and attended many other events before joining their countrymen to march in the St. Patrick’s Day parade on 5th avenue.
Their visit continued in Boston where an 18-person team of Shannon Airport Police and Fire Service attended the Massachusetts State Senator Linda Forry’s breakfast in Boston.
Attending the Irish Network Boston reception at Fenway Park and visiting a number of prominent travel and tour operators in Boston, Shannon Group were special guests of the Boston College Eagles Football Team where they watched team practice and met the Head Coach, Steve Addazio.
Their visit concluded with the Boston St. Patrick’s Day parade on March 20.
Shannon Airport has 1.6 million passengers per year traveling through the airport and this figure is rapidly increasing. There are 33 scheduled destinations across the UK, Europe and North America and Shannon continues to grow and develop these routes with its airline partners.
For US visitors, travel to the West of Ireland has never been easier with daily flights from the US to Shannon.
Travel to Shannon airport will leave you right on the doorstep of some of Ireland’s most spectacular tourist attractions and natural phenomena from the iconic Cliffs of Moher, to the original Bunratty medieval festival to the rugged landscape of Connemara.
Starting your visit to Ireland in Shannon will also leave you right in the midst of the beauty of the Wild Atlantic Way which stretches from the North of Donegal, past Shannon, to the most southerly point of Co Cork.
With a thriving food and bar scene, pretty villages, castles and country manors providing amazing accommodation and leisure activities, it is a tourist’s dream vacation, and Shannon airport is the dream way for it to begin.
“Shannon Airport, Ireland’s first airport has been called the most ‘user friendly’ airport in Europe,” continued Murphy.
“We pride ourselves in a ‘hassle free’ travel experience when you visit Shannon and travel through our airport. In 2009 Shannon Airport became the first airport in Europe to have full US Pre-clearance services following the construction of a new US Customs and Border Protection preclearance facility and this is a wonderful benefit to American visitors.”
Not only is Shannon Airport perfectly located for tourists but for many years is has been at the forefront of economic development in Ireland. In the 1950s the world’s first free trade zone opened in Shannon to provide a new business model for US multinational firms to do business with Europe. A pioneering concept at the time, it was the catalyst for an explosion of free trade zones all over the world. The first airport duty free shop was established in Shannon Airport in 1947 and it recently launched an online site.
Shannon’s International Aviation Services Center is an aerospace industry cluster with an outstanding list of America's leading names in aviation. The Aviation Services Center offers an ideal location for international aerospace firms with a range of aviation services from maintenance, repair and overhaul to aircraft leasing which is a thriving industry worldwide that originated in Shannon.
Shannon Commercial Properties has a portfolio of business and industrial properties across the Midwest of Ireland. It is one of the largest portfolios of property in Ireland and construction will soon be underway on new state-of-the-art industrial buildings and office spaces.
“Combined with the lowest corporate tax rate in Europe, a highly skilled workforce, proximity to the airport and a flexible and dynamic approach to business, Shannon and the Mid West region is a highly attractive proposition for US multinational companies seeking to locate a base in Europe” said Murphy.
In this significant year – the centenary anniversary of the 1916 Easter rising, Shannon Heritage has established a museum and exhibition center at the GPO in Dublin which will be a key attraction for both Irish and international tourists from March 2016 onwards.
You can find more information on the Shannon area at www.shannonheritage.com or on Shannon airport at www.shannonairport.ie.
Read more: Shannon Airport celebrates 70 years of transatlantic flights in Chicago
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