Overview
Foynes is the only dedicated flying boat museum in the world, and the only aviation museum in Ireland – a big claim for a small port town on the Shannon Estuary. For a few years either side of the Second World War, this was the last stop on the transatlantic route: the great flying boats set down on the water here before or after the Atlantic crossing, and everyone aboard passed through the terminal that now holds the museum. It opened in 1989 in that original 1930s building, and Foynes is a designated Wild Atlantic Way Discovery Point.
If you do one thing, board the Boeing 314. If you do two, drink the coffee.
The golden age of seaplanes
Before land-based airliners could cross the Atlantic non-stop, seaplanes were the only practical way over, and they needed sheltered water to land on. Charles Lindbergh surveyed the estuary and picked out Foynes; the terminal was built from 1935, and proving flights began in July 1937, with regular transatlantic services running through the war years.
Airlines including Pan American, Imperial Airways, American Export and Air France Transatlantique flew Boeing 314s, Sikorsky VS-44s and Latécoère 521s from the port, and Foynes became a lifeline for refugees leaving occupied Europe. The flying boat era ended in 1946 once land planes took over, and the port’s story might have faded had the museum not opened in the old terminal decades later, with the actress Maureen O’Hara among its patrons.
What to see
The Boeing 314 replica
The centrepiece is the world’s only full-size replica of a Boeing 314 ‘Yankee Clipper’. You can walk through the cabin and the cockpit and sit in the first-class suite, where passengers once ate proper meals off linen at 2,000 feet. It is the exhibit most people come for, and it earns the top billing.
Maritime gallery and control tower
The other half of the museum tells the story of Shannon Foynes port. A reconstructed control tower above the gallery looks out over the water where the seaplanes once taxied, and the displays explain how shifting Atlantic weather dictated whether a flight went at all.
The Irish Coffee Centre
Irish coffee was invented here in 1943. When a group of passengers came ashore frozen after a cold, turned-back crossing, chef Joe Sheridan mixed hot coffee, Irish whiskey and sugar to warm them up, and the drink stuck. The centre recreates the moment and serves the original recipe, and you can book an Irish Coffee masterclass to make one yourself.
Maureen O’Hara exhibition and cinema
A gallery to the Irish-American actress displays film stills and memorabilia from her career, and a 1940s-style cinema screens archival footage of the port at work and the voices of people who passed through it.
Practical information
Opening hours – Monday to Sunday, 9.30am to 6pm, last admission 5pm. Note that the museum closes for the winter and reopens in late spring, so confirm on the website before you travel.
Admission – Adults (18–65) €18, Seniors/Students €16, Children (5–17) €10, under 5s free; a family ticket (2 adults, 2 children) is €42. Online booking carries a small fee. Admission is also included in the Discover Limerick Pass.
Getting there – Foynes is roughly a 40-minute drive west of Limerick city on the N69. Bus Éireann route 314 stops directly opposite the entrance, on the Limerick–Glin line. Arriving from the west, the Killimer–Tarbert car ferry across the Shannon lands you about 20km away. Free parking for cars, coaches and bikes is on site.
Groups – Guided tours run for groups of ten or more by advance booking and take about 90 minutes.
Restaurant – O’Regan’s Restaurant is open daily, 9.30am to 6pm, serving Irish dishes and, of course, the coffee. It fills up around midday, so time lunch for either side of the lunchtime rush.
Accessibility – The terminal building is fully wheelchair accessible. The B-314 replica is not, because of the original aircraft’s design. Assistance dogs are welcome; other pets are not.
Nearby
- Adare – the thatched village east towards Limerick, worth a stop for its medieval ruins and heritage centre.
- Curraghchase Forest Park – woodland walks and an arboretum, roughly between Foynes and Limerick.
- Arthur’s Quay – back in Limerick city, a riverside walk along the same Shannon that once carried the flying boats.
Allow a couple of hours, and check the website first: the winter closure catches people out, and it is a fair drive to make on the off-chance.