- AirNav Ireland North Atlantic Communications Centre celebrates 90 years
- Established October 1936 on 90-acre site near Shannon
- Approximately 70 personnel handle up to 1,800 flights daily
- 1966 agreement created joint Shanwick operational framework
- Aer Lingus Iolar aircraft to conduct fly-past at anniversary
AirNav Ireland’s North Atlantic Communications Centre at Ballygirreen, Co. Clare, has celebrated 90 years of continuous service to global aviation. Since 1936, the centre has ensured the safe passage of millions of aircraft crossing the North Atlantic. The facility operates beyond the reach of traditional radar and VHF radio coverage. It utilises High Frequency shortwave radio to connect with aircraft crossing the Atlantic.
Radio waves bounce off the ionosphere to overcome the curvature of the Earth. Approximately 70 personnel, including more than 50 radio officers, manage air-ground communications across the Shanwick Oceanic Control Area. The centre handles up to 1,800 flights daily. AirNav Ireland works in partnership with Avians, Iceland’s air navigation service provider, to deliver HF radio communications across the Shanwick and Reykjavik Oceanic Control Areas.
Established in October 1936 on a 90-acre site near Shannon, the station initially provided ground communications via Morse code for transatlantic flying boats operating out of Foynes. Following the expansion of commercial aviation after World War II, a move to the current purpose-built facility in 1951 coincided with the industry’s transition from Morse code to voice communications. In 1966, an agreement between the Irish and English governments merged regional oceanic responsibilities.
Air traffic control at Prestwick paired with radio communications at Ballygirreen to create the joint Shanwick operational framework. The station’s signal is powered by its companion transmission facility at Urlanmore. The antenna array includes five 225-foot log-periodic antennas that beam high-power audio across the Shanwick and Reykjavik control areas. Over nine decades, the centre monitored the evolution of commercial flight from the Douglas DC-3 aircraft of the 1930s through the era of high-speed commercial aircraft and the Boeing 747 to modern long-range fleets.
Radio Officer Mike Kirwan joined Shannon Aeradio in 1981, following his father Dermod, one of the original 1936 marine radio officers who helped establish the station. Tim O’Mahony trained as a radio officer at the Marine Radio School in Limerick and served on global trade routes with the Marconi Marine Company. He joined Ballygirreen in 1971 and served across the main communications centre and the Urlanmore transmitter station until his retirement in 2013.
Aer Lingus’s oldest surviving aircraft, the Iolar, registration EI-ABI and dating from 1936, will conduct a fly-past over the event on the morning of the anniversary celebrations. High-frequency radio remains vital because space weather and orbital debris make physical ionospheric waves an irreplaceable backup. Approximately 15 retired colleagues gather on the first Tuesday of every month in Bunratty.
Gerald Caffrey shared “As an island nation, Ireland relies heavily on aviation to connect people, business, and cultures worldwide. The unwavering commitment of the team at the AirNav North Atlantic Communications Centre over the last ninety years has made our airspace one of the safest and most efficient in the world. Today, AirNav Ireland continues to invest in the people and technology that support our operations in the Mid-West. The expertise of our radio officers, engineers and technical specialists, combined with advanced communications systems and our partnership with Avians in Iceland, ensures we continue to provide a world-class service to aircraft crossing the North Atlantic. As aviation continues to evolve, Ballygirreen remains at the forefront of safe and efficient international air traffic management.”
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