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Shannon Airport celebrates 70 Years

Muhammad Ali (1942- )No introduction required; boxer, social activist, philanthropist and, actually, great grandson of Ennis, Co. Clare man Abe Grady, Muhammad Ali was and will always remain in sporting fansâ eyes âthe greatestâ. Ali transcended sport and in 2009 travelled to his great grandfatherâs birthplace in Ennis and was made the first honorary freeman of the town.

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01/12/201570 years a-glowing as Shannon Airport celebrates milestone with launch of photographic exhibition.64 photos of some of the worldâs best known political leaders and stars of screen and stage unveiled.Every US President since JFK; Nelson Mandela, President Gorbachev, Pope John Paul II, Bob Hope, Gene Kelly, Bruce Springsteen, et al.Closing the curtain on a year of celebrations to mark the 70th anniversary of the first commercial transatlantic flight into Shannon, or any land-based Irish airport, some 64 images drawn from the 1950s to the current decade have been assembled from archives and placed in a permanent exhibition on the walls of the airportâs transit lounge. The exhibition, which is officially launched later this evening by Shannon Group Chairman Rose Hynes, reflects the international standing of Shannon as a global aviation crossroads as it includes some of the worldâs best known personalities of politics, stage, screen and sport. Famous faces/events captured in the exhibition include every US president from presidents John F Kennedy to Barack Obama; other global political and religious leaders such as Nelson Mandela, President Mikhail Gorbachev, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Cuban President Fidel Castrol, Pope John Paul II and the Dali Lama.The exhibition includes movie stars such as Gene Kelly, Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, Marlon Brando, Richard Burton, Richard Harris and Peter OâToole. It also reaches into sport, with Mohammed Aliâs visit here also included, as is Irish boxer Andy Leeâs homecoming last year, the 2006 homecoming of Munster following their Heineken Cup victory and the single biggest crowd event of all at the airport - the homecoming of Clareâs 1995 All-Ireland winning team. Rock stars also feature, with Mick Jagger and Bruce Springsteen included. The exhibition also illustrates Shannonâs continued international status, with many of the photos drawn from the current era, including the visits this year of Prince Charles and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, both of whom flew into Shannon this year.Pictured ahead of the launch is Ann Coyne (78), originally from Kilmallock, Co. Limerick, now living in Oranmore, Co. Galway, who is captured in one of the iconic images in the exhibition, the 1950's photograph with Hollywood star Gene Kelly in the airportâs duty free â the first airport duty free shop in the world.Picture: Diarmuid Greene/Fusionshooters

01/12/201570 years a-glowing as Shannon Airport celebrates milestone with launch of photographic exhibition.64 photos of some of the worldâs best known political leaders and stars of screen and stage unveiled.Every US President since JFK; Nelson Mandela, President Gorbachev, Pope John Paul II, Bob Hope, Gene Kelly, Bruce Springsteen, et al.Closing the curtain on a year of celebrations to mark the 70th anniversary of the first commercial transatlantic flight into Shannon, or any land-based Irish airport, some 64 images drawn from the 1950s to the current decade have been assembled from archives and placed in a permanent exhibition on the walls of the airportâs transit lounge. The exhibition, which is officially launched later this evening by Shannon Group Chairman Rose Hynes, reflects the international standing of Shannon as a global aviation crossroads as it includes some of the worldâs best known personalities of politics, stage, screen and sport. Famous faces/events captured in the exhibition include every US president from presidents John F Kennedy to Barack Obama; other global political and religious leaders such as Nelson Mandela, President Mikhail Gorbachev, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Cuban President Fidel Castrol, Pope John Paul II and the Dali Lama.The exhibition includes movie stars such as Gene Kelly, Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, Marlon Brando, Richard Burton, Richard Harris and Peter OâToole. It also reaches into sport, with Mohammed Aliâs visit here also included, as is Irish boxer Andy Leeâs homecoming last year, the 2006 homecoming of Munster following their Heineken Cup victory and the single biggest crowd event of all at the airport - the homecoming of Clareâs 1995 All-Ireland winning team. Rock stars also feature, with Mick Jagger and Bruce Springsteen included. The exhibition also illustrates Shannonâs continued international status, with many of the photos drawn from the current era, including the visits this year of Prince Charles and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, both of whom flew into Shannon this year.Pictured ahead of the launch are Liam Skelly, Shannon Aiport General Manager 1979-1992, left, Michael Guerin, Shannon Airport General Manager 1992-1995, centre, and Niall Maloney, Shannon Airport Operations Director.Picture: Diarmuid Greene/Fusionshooters

Princess Grace (1929-1982)The ever stylish and striking lady and film star of the â50s Silver Screen, Grace Kelly visited Ireland three times and arrived into Shannon for her earliest visit before embarking on the long drive to Mayo to the ancestral farm of her grandfather John Peter Kelly in Drimurla, Co Mayo. Princess Grace as she then became following her marriage to Prince Rainier of Monaco, bought the 35 acre homestead in 1979 for Â£7,800, but her dream to build a holiday home there never materialised before her death in 1982. The Irish links to the American born star are as strong as ever as her son Prince Albert of Monaco is still a regular visitor to Ireland.

Richard Harris (Duty Free)

Richard Burton (1925-1984)The Welsh film star and stage actor, Richard Burton is pictured here arriving in Shannon Airport with his wife Suzy Miller during the actorâs third effort at marriage after twice wedding Elizabeth Taylor in the 60s. A close friend of the late and great Richard Harris, there are fond memories of the pair, together with Peter OâToole (all three are included in this exhibition) during the â60s holding up a bar counter at 3am singing songs while renowned Irish musician and song-writer Pecker Dunne played the banjo to a saxophone accompaniment.

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