Laois County Council

Tag: aviation

  • Great line up for Festival of Flight

    Great line up for Festival of Flight

    The Festival of Flight is shaping up to be a major event in Laois, with plans for arts and science workshops, talks, music and historic plane fly-overs. The event which takes place in Portlaoise from the 7th to the 10th of April, will celebrate the rich history of flight in Laois.

    Grace and Millie Fennelly at Fitzmaurice Place, Portlaoise for the launch of the new Festival of Flight being held in Laois from Thursday 7 April until Sunday 10 April.
    Picture: Alf Harvey.

    One of the main events of the weekend will be a live performance of the Impossible Dream, the piece composed by Martin Tourish and the young musicians of the Music Generation Laois Trad Orchestra to celebrate the life and achievements of the Portlaoise Aviator James Fitzmaurice. The piece will be performed as part of a special event at St Peter’s Church of Ireland Church in Portlaoise starting at 3pm on Saturday 9th April and will also feature talks on the history and future of aviation and exploration in Laois and Ireland and a special performance by poet Laura Murphy. Tickets for the event are priced at €10 and are available via the Dunamaise Arts Centre, www.dunamaise.ie.

     

    Programme of events

    Thursday 7th April

    Schools workshops on the art and science of flight

    Premiere online of the new video “Science at Home by Midlands Science, featuring the Portlaoise Plane

     

    Friday 8th April

    Schools workshops on the art and science of flight

    Aircraft Professional Technical Networking Meeting, Bloom HQ Mountrath

     

    Saturday 8th April

    Free family workshops on “Flights of Fancy” at the Dunamaise Arts Centre – see Dunamaise.ie for booking

    “The Impossible Dream” Concert with Martin Tourish and the Music Generation Laois Trad Orchestra, featuring talks and poetry. 3pm St Peter’s Church of Ireland Church, Portlaoise, see www.dunamaise.ie for booking

     

    Sunday 9th April

    Wreath laying ceremony and historic planes flyover (subject to weather), 12 mid-day Fitzmaurice Place Portlaoise

    Portlaoise Plane on display, Fitzmaurice Place from 11am to 3pm

    Committee members, from left: Catherine Casey, Laois Heritage Officer; Louise Fennelly, secretary; Ralph James, former GOC Irish Air Corps; Teddy Fennelly, chairman and Michael Parsons, Laois Heritage at Fitzmaurice Place, Portlaoise for the launch of the new Festival of Flight being held in Laois from Thursday 7 April until Sunday 10 April.
    Picture: Alf Harvey.

    Teddy Fennelly, Chair of the Colonel James Fitzmaurice Commemoration Committee, organisers of the festival said “We are so happy to share our love for flight and aviation with the public through this Festival. Portlaoise and Laois have so much to be proud of in the achievements of Col Fitzmaurice and the building of the Portlaoise Plane, we think the story deserves to be better known and we hope this festival l will fire up the enthusiasm and imagination of Ireland’s next generation of young explorers. We are particularly happy that our friends in the Irish Air Corps will be involved again this year – in this the centenary year of the foundation of the Air Corps, the links between Portlaoise and the Air Corps are continuing to strengthen”

     

    Schools and Family Workshops

    As part of the festival, Portlaoise schools have been offered the opportunity to book free workshops looking at all aspects of flight, from how butterflies wings work to how super-heroes fly. Catherine Casey, Heritage Officer with Laois County Council said “We are delighted to deliver science based workshops, exploring the science of flight, and at the other end of the spectrum we want to really open up everyone’s imagination to the creative and playful side of flight, with arts workshops supported by Creative Ireland Laois.  We are allocating workshops to the schools that have applied at the moment and we will also have a workshop for home-schooling families, and public workshops at the Dunamaise Arts Centre on Saturday 9th April as part of the Festival. We really want to inspire children & young people to creatively and imaginatively respond to the theme of ‘flight’. All details are on the festival website, www.laois.ie/festivalofflight”.

    Eva Cahill flying her kite at Fitzmaurice Place, Portlaoise for the launch of the new Festival of Flight being held in Laois from Thursday 7 April until Sunday 10 April.
    Picture: Alf Harvey.

    Col Fitzmaurice Commemoration Committee

    The Festival of Flight is led by the Col Fitzmaurice Commemoration Committee, which is made up of Teddy Fennelly, Alan Phelan, Michael Parsons, Louise Cahill, PJ Kavanagh, Ralph James, Sean Murray and Catherine Casey. The event is being run in partnership with Laois County Council, Laois Heritage Society, Music Generation Laois, the Dunamaise Arts Centre and Midlands Science, and is supported by the Heritage Council and Creative Ireland Laois as part of the Creative Ireland Programme 2017-2022 in partnership with Laois County Council.

     

    For details of all events across the Festival, see www.laois.ie/festivalofflight.

    Bobby and Eva Cahill at Fitzmaurice Place, Portlaoise for the launch of the new Festival of Flight being held in Laois from Thursday 7 April until Sunday 10 April.
    Picture: Alf Harvey.

     

     

  • PORTLAOISE PLANE MAKES TRIUMPHANT RETURN HOME

    PORTLAOISE PLANE MAKES TRIUMPHANT RETURN HOME

    The plane last seen in public in Portlaoise over 100 years ago, when it was one of the first planes in Ireland to take to the skies, returned home to Portlaoise on Sunday. A huge gathering of well-wishers, heritage and aviation enthusiasts gathered in the spacious grounds of Laois Music Centre to view the newly restored plane, to hear the story of its journey so far and to hear music composed in honour of Portlaoise’s other great aviation hero, Col. James Fitzmaurice.

    Laois County Council Chief Executive John Mulholland; Cllr Thomasina Connell, Cathaoirleach of Laois County Council Conor Bergin and Teddy Fennelly, President of Laois Heritage Society with the plane at the Portlaoise Plane official return on Sunday 12th September 2021.
    Picture: Alf Harvey.

    Addressing the gathering, Cllr Conor Bergin Cathaoirleach of Laois County Council said “The Plane was designed and built in Aldritt’s Garage Portlaoise by Frank Aldritt and his sons with the help of master carpenter John Conroy – the first plane to be built and take to the air in what is now the Republic of Ireland –and here today we celebrate the vision, creativity, imagination and originality of those Portlaoise men of the past. But it’s also important for us to celebrate the achievement of the people who have rescued this priceless artefact from obscurity.”

    Members of the Aldritt family at the Portlaoise Plane Event.
    Picture: Alf Harvey.

    The Cathaoirleach continued “we must remember Joe Rogers, who first highlighted the continued existence of the plane in a private collection in England; Teddy Fennelly and Alan Phelan who pursued the plane and persuaded the owner to part with it and allow it to return home; Brendan O’Donoghue and Johnny Molloy who painstakingly worked on the craft to restore it to its shining glory and Tim Costelloe who informed and inspired all those involved from the start of the project, sharing his knowledge and enthusiasm for all aspects of Irish aviation and in particular in designing the replica engine we see on display here today with the plane.”

    Enjoying the plane at the Portlaoise Plane Event.
    Picture: Alf Harvey.

    As well as being a valuable artefact on its own right, the Portlaoise Plane is linked to Portlaoise’s other major aviation story: A young James Fitzmaurice records in his memoirs that he witnessed the construction of the plane and was also present when it made its first short experimental flight. This early exposure to the excitement of flight was credited by Fitzmaurice with inspiring him in his career as a pioneering aviator. This links the Portlaoise Plane directly with the first east-west transatlantic flight – elevating the story and confirming the place of Portlaoise as the centre of Irish aviation history.

    Members of the restoration team, from left: Brendan O’Donoghue, Alan Phelan, Teddy Fennelly and Tim Costello at the Portlaoise Plane official return on Sunday 12th September 2021.
    Picture: Alf Harvey.

    Chairman of the Heritage Council Michael Parsons speaking at the event on Sunday said “The Heritage Council encourages national and local exploration and appreciation of Ireland’s rich natural, built and cultural heritage. The Portlaoise Plane tells a story of exploration, bravery and derring do, that should make the Aldritt, Conroy and Rogers families very proud of their ancestors. All of us in Laois and Ireland can join in celebrating this great story of these pioneers of Irish Aviation. The Heritage Council commends Laois County Council for its warm support of the Portlaoise Plane. I personally wish that the plane will soon be on permanent display where it belongs – here in Portlaoise”.

    Members of the Irish Air Corps at the Portlaoise Plane Event.
    Picture: Alf Harvey.

    All speakers paid tribute to Teddy Fennelly, aviation enthusiast and author of the book “Fitz and the Famous Flight. John Mulholland, Chief Executive of Laois County Council said “Teddy has rescued both the aviation story and the plane for the people of Portlaoise. He has motivated everyone with his selfless drive and enthusiasm and we all owe him a debt of gratitude for saving and helping to restore this vital part of our heritage.”

     

    Speaking about the Plane and its restoration, Teddy Fennelly thanked the many people who had helped along the way, mentioning in particular the staff of Laois County Council’s Portlaoise MD, who have generously assisted with the safe storage of the plane in Portlaoise for the past number of months. He also paid tribute to the Management and Elected members of Laois County Council who he said had always supported heritage projects in Laois and had been generous in their support of this project to date.

    Brendan O’Donoghue, lead restorer of the plane; Teddy Fennelly, President of Laois Heritage and Brigadier General Rory O’Connor, General Officer in command, Irish Air Corps at the Portlaoise Plane Event.
    Picture: Alf Harvey.

    The Portlaoise Plane event was bookended by the performance of extracts from “The Impossible Dream” composed by Martin Tourish to commemorate the life and achievements of Col James Fitzmaurice. The music which was commissioned by Music Generation Laois with funding from Creative Ireland Laois as part of the Creative Ireland Programme 2017 – 2022, was performed by members of the Music Generation Laois Trad Orchestra, accompanied by Martin Tourish and Siobhan Buckley.

    The Music Generation Laois Trad Orchestra performing at the Portlaoise Plane Event.
    Picture: Alf Harvey.

    MC of the event Alan Phelan commended the young musicians and their tutors, paying special tribute to Rosa Flannery, coordinator of Music Generation Laois and the driving force behind many unique creative projects in the county. At the end of the event, Alan asked Brendan O’ Donohue who spearheaded the restoration of the plane, and Tim Costello who carried out much of the research including the design of the replica engine also on display with the plane, to stand, and those gathered showed their appreciation of the two men with hearty applause.

    Chairman Alan Phelan with his family at the Portlaoise Plane Event. From left: Anita, Phyllis, Alan, Aoife and Aisling Phelan.
    Picture: Alf Harvey.

    The event was attended by representatives of the Irish Air Corps who paraded on at the start of proceedings and by members of the Irish United Nations Veterans Association Post 27 Portlaoise Branch, who provided a special guard of honour for the plane while it was in situ. General Officer in Command of the Irish Air Corps Brigadier General Rory O’Connor was an honoured and welcome guest. A fly-past of light aircraft from the Lime Tree Airfield just outside Portlaoise lent a further special aviation flavour to the historic event.

    The fly over by aircraft from the Lime Tree Flying Club at the Portlaoise Plane Event.
    Picture: Alf Harvey.
    Members of the Conroy family at the Portlaoise Plane Event.
    Picture: Alf Harvey.

    Col Fitzmaurice Archive

    In addition to restoring the Portlaoise Plane, Teddy Fennelly has been collecting original archive material relating to the flight and Fitzmaurice for many years – the first East West Transatlantic Flight was major international news both in Europe and the US, and was front page news on the New York Times for 19 days after the flight. Now, with thanks to Heritage Council funding, much of the collection has now been conserved by specialist paper conservator and digitised, and the and the Fitzmaurice Commemoration Committee has ensured that the newspapers will be made publicly available through the digital archive of the Laois County Library Service.

     

    The archive project was brought about through the collaborative approach of the Laois County Council Culture Team – the piece of music commemorating James Fitzmaurice is another –showcasing how the culture Team members from the Heritage, Libraries, Arts, Music Generation and Archives work together through the Creative Ireland programme, to become more than the sum of their parts, and producing truly imaginative, ground breaking work.

    Committee member PJ Kavanagh with his family, Niamh, Noah and Suzie at the Portlaoise Plane Event.
    Picture: Alf Harvey.
    Members of the UN Veterans Post 27 at the Portlaoise Plane Event.
    Picture: Alf Harvey.

    Col Fitzmaurice Commemoration Committee

    The Portlaoise Plane event on Sunday was the final event of the year for the Col Fitzmaurice Commemoration Committee, which is made up of Teddy Fennelly, Alan Phelan, Michael Parsons, Louise Cahill, PJ Kavanagh, Sean Murray and Catherine Casey. The work of the group continues and more on the projects and plans of the Committee can be found at https://www.facebook.com/Fitzflight. More on the Portlaoise Plane Restoration Project is at https://portlaoiseplane.com/.

    Committee members, from left: Teddy Fennelly, Sean Murray, Michael Parsons, chairman of The Heritage Council; Louise Cahill, Alan Phelan and Catherine Casey at the Portlaoise Plane official return on Sunday 12th September 2021.
    Picture: Alf Harvey.
    Brigadier General Rory O’Connor, Teddy Fennelly, President of Laois Heritage Society; Michael Parsons, Chairman of The Heritage Council and Catherine Casey, Laois Heritage Officer with the plane at the Portlaoise Plane official return on Sunday 12th September 2021.
    Picture: Alf Harvey.
  • Laois Aviation History

    Laois Aviation History

    Laois has a long a proud tradition of achievements in aviation, the most well known of which is the achievement of Colonel James Fitzmaurice, a Portlaoise native who was co-pilot on the first plane to cross the Atlantic from East to West, in April 1928.

     

    Fitz and the Famous Flight

    In April 1928, the Junkers aircraft the Bremen took off from Baldonnell Aerodrome in Dublin, and set out to cross the Atlantic from East to West – against prevailing winds – for the first time. On board was Portlaoise native Captain James Fitzmaurice, along with Germans Hermann Kohl and Ehrenfried Günther Freiherr von Hünefeld. When they touched down on Greenly Island, off the coast of Canada, more than 36 hours later, they made history.

    The achievement has been celebrated in Laois over the years, and a series of commemorative events were held to mark the 90th anniversary of the flight, in 2018. This included an exhibition by artists Brendon Deacy, a documentary by Louis V Deacy and a joint Irish German commemorative flight and wreath-laying in October 2018.

    Brochure from Fitzmaurice Exhibition

    Ralph James, former GOC Irish Air Corps; Michael Parsons, chairman Laois Heritage; Donal Brennan, Director of Services LCC and Catherine Casey, Laois Heritage officer at The Dunamaise Arts Centre for the opening of the ‘Fitz & the 1st East-to-West Atlantic Flight’ exhibition.
    Picture: Alf Harvey.
    Donal Brennan, Director of Services LCC with Teddy Fennelly, chairman of the Fitzmaurice Commemoration committee at The Dunamaise Arts Centre for the opening of the ‘Fitz & the 1st East-to-West Atlantic Flight’ exhibition.
    Picture: Alf Harvey.
    Brendon Deacy, artist and exhibition curator with his daughters Ciana, Kitty and Maggie at The Dunamaise Arts Centre for the opening of the ‘Fitz & the 1st East-to-West Atlantic Flight’ exhibition.
    Picture: Alf Harvey.
    The wreath laying at the Fitzmaurice Bust at County Hall, Portlaoise.
    Picture: Alf Harvey.
    The fly over during the wreath laying at the Fitzmaurice Bust at County Hall, Portlaoise.
    Picture: Alf Harvey.

    The Portlaoise Plane

    The first aeroplane built and flown in what is now the Republic of Ireland was constructed in Portlaoise (then Maryborough) by a family of renowned motor engineers, the Aldritts, Frank, the father and founder of the business, and his sons, Louis, Frank and Joseph. The Aldritts worked with master carpenter John Conroy and mechanic William Rogers to build their plane, and in 1912 it flew a short distance, witnessed by a number of people .

    The Portlaoise Plane is a rare aviation artefact but, better still, it has a close connection with Ireland’s most famous aviation pioneer, Col. James Fitzmaurice, the co-pilot on the Bremen, the first aircraft to fly the Atlantic east to west in 1928. Fitzmaurice grew up in Portlaoise and received all his formal education in the local CBS, next door to Aldritts’ old garage. He later wrote that as a schoolboy he became involved in the plane’s construction, with particular mention of his mentor, Louis Aldritt, and it was from this early experience that he first acquired his interest in aeroplanes.

    Following research by Joe Rogers, a descendant of William Rogers, and aviation enthusiasts Teddy Fennelly and Alan Phelan, the plane was discovered, after being housed in a private museum in the south of England and almost forgotten for 40 years. The plane was restored by aircraft engineers Brendan O’Donoghue and Johnny Molloy . The short clip below records the homecoming on the 14th July 2021.

     

    Members of the restoration team, from left: Brendan O’Donoghue, Alan Phelan, Teddy Fennelly and Tim Costello at the Portlaoise Plane official return on Sunday 12th September 2021.
    Picture: Alf Harvey.

    Laois Represented at Major Conference on Irish Aviation History

    Laois was represented at a major international conference held in Clifden in June 2019 to mark the centenary of the first non-stop transatlantic airplane flight by Alcock and Brown in June 1919.

    Teddy Fennelly of Laois Heritage Society, Catherine Casey of Laois County Council and Michael McEvoy President of the Model Aeronautics Council of Ireland (also an active member of the Laois Model Aero Club) attended the conference organised by Galway County Council.

    Teddy Fennelly (Laois Heritage Society), Catherine Casey (Laois County Council) and Michael McEvoy (Model Aeronautics Council of Ireland) at the recent conference on “Irish Aviation – Past, Present and Future”, held in Galway.
    Teddy Fennelly (Laois Heritage Society), Catherine Casey (Laois County Council) and Michael McEvoy (Model Aeronautics Council of Ireland) at the recent conference on “Irish Aviation – Past, Present and Future”, held in Galway.

    Teddy Fennelly, a lifelong aeronautics enthusiast, was introduced at the conference by Laois Heritage Officer Catherine Casey. Currently President of Laois Heritage Society and Chairman of the Laois Heritage Forum, Teddy has written numerous books, mainly historical and biographical, including the biography of Ireland’s most famous aviator, Col James Fitzmaurice, titled “Fitz and the Famous Flight”, published in 1998. He spoke about the life and achievements of Col Fitzmaurice, a Portlaoise native, as co-pilot of the first nonstop transatlantic plane flight from Europe to North America, in April 1928.

    Those present were also fascinated to hear about the “Portlaoise Plane”, built by Louis & Frank Aldritt, Motor Engineers and Johnny Conroy Master Carpenter with the help of mechanic William Rogers – the first plane built and flown in what is now the Republic of Ireland. It is known that Aldritts had a patent to build an airplane as early as 1907. It is also on record that the Portlaoise Plane succeeded in covering a short distance in November, 1909.

    Teddy Fennelly said “We know that Colonel James Fitzmaurice helped in its construction as a young boy, and it’s quite likely that this is where the seed was sown for his life-long passion for Aviation. The airplane remained in storage in the original Aldritt motor works at Bank Place, Portlaoise until the late 1970s. It was acquired by a private collector who transported the plane to his premises in the South of England, until we recently brought it home to Ireland. You can follow the story of the Portlaoise Plane at portlaoiseplane.com.

    Another highlight of the conference was the display of model aircraft brought to Clifden by Laois and Midland Model Aero Clubs members Michael McEvoy, Mel Broad, Heather Broad and Martin Sweeney. The aircraft were on display in the Museum in Clifden for the duration of the commemoration events.

     

    Michael McEvoy, Mel Broad, Heather Broad and Martin Sweeney of the Laois and Midlands Model Aero Clubs at the “Irish Aviation – Past, Present and Future” conference in Clifden.
    Michael McEvoy, Mel Broad, Heather Broad and Martin Sweeney of the Laois and Midlands Model Aero Clubs at the “Irish Aviation – Past, Present and Future” conference in Clifden.

    Michael McEvoy said “The Model Aeronautics Council of Ireland (MACI) was formed in 1939 by a group of model aircraft enthusiasts when model aircraft technology was in its infancy. Today, 80 years later, almost 6,000 enthusiasts have passed through MACI, many carrying their interests to a life in aeronautics, designing, maintaining and piloting a range of aircraft from a Cessna 150 to a 747 Jumbo Jet while others have taken the road to military aeronautics. The Laois Model Aero Club is one of 29 clubs nationwide with almost 500 members. The MACI website  covers all aspects relating to model aircraft and the many different types now available to the modelling enthusiast from a simple electric to a sophisticated turbine model”.

    Catherine Casey, Heritage Officer with Laois County Council, said “with so many strands to the story, the history and the future of aviation in Ireland are firmly centred on County Laois. We look forward to working closely with MACI and Laois Heritage Society as we start to plan for the centenary of the first East West transatlantic flight, in 2028”.