Lots has been happening in Foynes since our last post, but we have been tardy in getting information out on a regular basis. The staff are busy with day to day and the increasing number of visitors, and over on this side of the world we are strictly limited to the volunteer time available, so apologies for that.

Firstly we are proud to once again to receive a Tripadvisor Travelers’ Choice Award for 2025. This distinguished recognition would not have been possible without the hard work and dedication of our staff. And they have been busy welcoming lots of visitors by both land and sea. Sales of entry tickets have been good, and we continue to attract lots of traffic from the tour operators. Our cruise ship traffic is also up this year. We have regular visits by Azamara, and recently we had a visit by the Norwegian Dawn with a total of over 2,200 passengers! We are also excited to learn that Viking will begin stopping by in 2027 – so excited that we plan to be on the maiden voyage!

One real highlight was welcoming The “Tracing the Transatlantic” experience, created by Bartelings in collaboration with Criterion Travel, under official license from Pan American World Airways. This group of travelers were treated to an unforgettable journey in a specially fitted Boeing 757-200 in Pan Am livery named the Yankee Clipper II. Their flight retraced the historic transatlantic Flying Boat routes of old, beginning in New York and visiting Bermuda, Lisbon, Marseille, London, and Shannon. On the last night of their journey we welcomed them to the museum at a special gala dinner to give them a proper “Bon Voyage.”

Finally, you may be glad to learn that we have just received web accessibility grant from Failte Ireland. Our hope is that this grant will enable us to strengthen our communications with our non-Facebook friends. And of course, if you are on Facebook please take time to follow us at https://www.facebook.com/flyingboatmuseum, where for now, at least, there will be more regular news updates.

Thank you as always for your interest,