Shane Clifford was on the first United Airlines flight out of Shannon and the 20th anniversary flight that landed at the County Clare airport last week. Photo by Arthur Ellis.
By Irish Echo Staff
It was a 20th flight anniversary with a needle in a haystack passenger link to the first takeoff.
Annacotty, Limerick native Shane Clifford could be forgiven for spending all weekend playing the lotto after landing on his United Airlines flight at Shannon Airport last Thursday.
The flight from Newark was receiving the traditional celebratory water canon salute to mark the anniversary as it pulled onto the taxiway when the penny dropped for the father of three that he was actually on the very first United flight that departed Shannon twenty years ago.
“You never really expect things to come full circle in life and it’s scary when they do,” said Clifford.
“The pilot announced to us when we landed that the aircraft would be getting the water cannon salute and it then dawned on me that I was on the very first flight from here with United twenty years ago.
“I left Shannon after graduating from UL (University of Limerick) in 1998 and never intended to stay in the States, but life takes you a different path and I’m there twenty years now, happily married with three children.
“Last thing I expected when I landed in Shannon that I would be getting free coffee and croissants to celebrate the 20th anniversary of a flight that took me out of here in the first place.”
According to a Shannon Airport release, Clifford, who works in financial services in New York and lives in New Jersey with his wife Tricia and three sons Liam, Owen and Sean, was back in Ireland to attend a wedding of former UL college mate and adventurer Paul Gleeson, well known for his rowing exploits, including his Atlantic crossing of 2006.
The Limerick man wasn’t the only passenger on the anniversary arrival who was getting attention, said the release.
Another passenger to disembark was football star JJ Watt of the Houston Texans who was heading for the West of Ireland for a short break.
Since that first United flight in June, 1998 the airline, according to the Shannon release, has carried 1.9 million passengers across the Atlantic on more than 13,500 flights.
