For other places with the same name, see Shannon (disambiguation).
Shannon (dead link: January 2023) is a town and airport in County Clare in the west of Ireland. The airport came first, as a stopover for early transatlantic flights, then an industrial zone and new town grew beside it. These are unattractive: don't worry, Ireland gets better once you drive clear of the airport, and Shannon is a good entry point to this scenic and historic region.
In 1946 commercial transatlantic flights re-started after the war, but aircraft range was limited and they faced stiff headwinds going west. Airports were therefore needed as far east as possible in North America, e.g. at Gander in Newfoundland, and as far west as possible in Europe, e.g. at Prestwick in Scotland and Shannon in Ireland. This was also important for military flights, and the airports were equipped with very long runways to handle the largest aircraft; they became hubs of local industry. From the 1950s aircraft speed, range and capacity extended, notably with the Boeing 707, and it was foreseen that these airports would be bypassed once Europe to USA non-stop flight became routine. The response here was to create Shannon Free Zone as a duty-free port and industrial zone. Shannon town itself was built in the 1960s to serve the airport and industrial park, but like other "New Towns" of that era, it was ugly and in parts shoddy. Over the following years its fortunes rose and fell along with the Irish economy, booming during the "Celtic Tiger" years of the 1990s, slumping when the dot.com, property and banking bubbles burst. In the 21st century budget leisure flights greatly expanded (Dublin airport benefited even more). So while Shannon is still a springboard to North America, it's nowadays more a portal for tourism into the scenic west of Ireland.
Shannon's other attraction for aviation is that it's virtually free of fog and snow, with mild sou'westerly winds off the Atlantic. Winter lows are 3-8°C with summer highs seldom much over 20°C. There is rain a-plenty in summer, even more rain in winter, and incessant rain if you venture out without a raincoat.
Shannon Airport (IATA: SNN), 52.701944°, -8.924722°, +353 61 712000, comments@shannonairport.ie. This large airport has many flights across Europe and the UK; there are no flights within Ireland. The main carriers are Aer Lingus and Ryanair. There are also daily flights to New York JFK, Newark, Boston and Philadephia, all with US border pre-clearance, and summer seasonal flights to Toronto. There is a single terminal. There's not much groundside, the food court is airside, and lounges are €25 for 3 hours. All the main car rental firms have desks in Arrivals, and see "By bus" below for local public transport. A taxi might be €30 to Bunratty and €50 to Limerick or Ennis. 2020-04-30
See Limerick for bus and train connections from Dublin and the rest of Ireland.
Bus 51 runs hourly from Cork via Mallow, Limerick and Bunratty to the airport (30 min from Limerick), continuing to Ennis and Galway. The last bus is around 22:00. Don't take X51, which runs nonstop between Limerick and Galway.
Bus 343 meanders hourly from Limerick via Cratloe, Bunratty, Sixmilebridge, Shannon town and airport (one hour), and Newmarket-on-Fergus to Ennis. The last bus out of Limerick is around 23:00, and from the airport towards Limerick is at midnight.
By road from Dublin take M7 west, which bypasses Limerick to become N18 / M18, and join the spur road N19 into Shannon.
The town is all walkable, but it's nondescript and industrial. Bus 343 winds around the houses and industrial parks en route from Limerick to Ennis.
There are bike racks at the airport, but no bike hire facilities locally.
Shannon's own restaurants are clustered around Skycourt Shopping Centre or along R471 the old main street towards Bunratty and Limerick.
See also Bunratty 5 km east, which has lots of good eating places. Noel's within Bunratty Manor Hotel is the standout.
Shannon has a good mobile and 4G signal from all Irish carriers. As of Oct 2020, 5G from Eir has reached the town but not the airport.
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