Foynes Flying Boat & Maritime Museum

An outstanding museum telling the story of a brief chapter in aviation history. There are factually informative displays and artefacts combined with engaging personal stories and newsreel footage. The added bonus is the connection with actor Maureen O’Hara and her aviator husband Charles Blair. Personal memorabilia from her career is thoughtfully curated capturing old Hollywood glamour. If that wasn’t enough, a maritime museum also helps visitors understand the importance of the Shannon Estuary past and present and the chance to view the river from a platform at the top of the building. A welcoming cafe serves satisfying meals and snacks and of course an Irish coffee. An ideal excursion by TFI bus 314 taking 1 hour from Limerick City. Friendly team working in the museum, cafe and gift shop. Really enjoyed my visit.

This is somewhere I have wanted to visit for quite some time now and I am so glad we went today. I have passed through Foynes a number of times over the years. It’s a lovely small town, set on the banks of the Shannon Estuary but until today I never knew its historical significance in the foundation of transatlantic aviation in Ireland. Home of the world renowned Irish coffee, a base of innovation for the incredible contributions of Brendan O’Regan to Irish aviation and business. We were met by a wonderfully knowledgeable lady who takes huge pride and interest in her work. We had a lovely bit of over and back banter for a few minutes which set the tone for a nice, easy and very relaxed walk through the museum. I hope my pictures do a little justice to this gem of a place. I see a review here giving out about the portion of the museum that is dedicated to the late actress Maureen O’Hara. I find that very unfair as she was a patron of the museum, an avid supporter and her husband was the last pilot to fly out of there. Upon her passing her family made sure the museum received a huge amount of her belongings to display and to help celebrate her life and ties to the airport and museum. Because of that I also got to see a fabled Oscar statue on display. Anyway, I digress. The tour is full of fascinating aeronautical artefacts, navigational instruments, radio equipment, uniforms and a rich collection of memorabilia from a bygone era. The partial plane on display is so far removed from what we know now but so era correct that it’s fascinating. On the upper floors there are fine testaments to the maritime industry that thrived along the estuary. The Foynes Flying boat and Maritime museum is well worth the visit, has taught me things I never knew about the area and is a place I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend to anyone.

Our guide Rachel was a joy! She is very knowledgeable, has a personality fit for dealing with a group of people, and I highly recommend her as your tour guide! They are lucky to have her!

I'll start with the cons: 1. Expensive 2. I was going to a museum about aviation, but ended up at the Maureen O'Hara Museum 3. The museum only has a piece of a seaplane, a fuselage with a glider and a piece of a wing. I understand that there probably wasn't room for the entire plane. Despite this, I saw a lot of new things, for example, the cockpit and interior of the 30s, old radio transmitters and communication equipment. I like it all very much. I also recommend visiting the aviation museum in Shannon. I know about the Irish actress Maureen O'Hara, I was even in the village of Cong where the movie "The Quiet Man" was filmed. Please forgive me, but I still haven't seen that movie. However, I was glad to see a real Oscar. Special thanks for the hologram and the coffee history. Don't pass by this room.

This museum is an absolute treasure and should be promoted more. Lunch (including original Irish Coffees!) was great. The exhibitions offered good insight and on a fascinating era of travel. The maritime and Maureen O'Hara sections were equally well done. Allow at least three hours if you have a meal while you are here to really enjoy all aspects of the museum.

Overall, the museum is quite good and has a lot of information and is quite interesting. That being said, there is a huge section about an actress that does not really fit the theme (I understand she donated, etc, but still a big portion of the museum). Also, there are 3 simulators 1 was marked as under rapids, but all 3 were broken, which was a shame. Also quite pricey all things considered when parts are broken reductions should be made.

This a magical place to visit really great centre to visit if you are into flying boats Maureen o Hara lots to do and see plenty of hands on for the younger ones . Great cafe and Irish coffee

It was interesting to find out about trans-Atlantic travel before and during the war. It's the only place in the world to get an idea of what the Boeing 314 flying boat was like inside. A lot of Maureen O'Hara memorabilia in the museum and also the home of Irish Coffee.

LOVE this place!! As a flight attendant I am always curious to learn more about aviation- so much history in this museum. We stayed about 2.5 hours, and I wish we could've stayed longer! Will definitely go back on another trip to Ireland- and will stop in the cafe to enjoy an Irish Coffee! Don't miss this gem if your traveling around Ireland... it's pretty close to Limerick!!

This was a very boring tour unless you are interested in the detailed history of flying boats. The best part was the Irish coffee served at the end. If you like watching black and white old film reels and a small museum of Maureen O 'Hara, it is not worth the stop.

Amazing museum! Lots to learn about flying boats including a full size replica. Definitely worth the side trip to see all they have to offer. Maureen O'Hara museum is just another great benefit. Also, super friendly and helpful museum staff.

This place is brilliant and amazing! Anybody who likes boats or planes or anything related and cool will love it! Do NOT miss!!!

Foynes Flying Boat Museum is not the most original name (for a museum, in Foynes, concerned with flying boats). It celebrates 'the golden age of aviation' when this small town on the Snannon was the central aviation hub on the routes between Europe and North America. My fears that this museum would consist of a couple of tatty models held up by fishing wire in a dimly lit, musty and un-carpeted room proved unfounded. There's something for everyone here. There's the obligitary audio-visual presentation, plenty of historical information and memorabilia, a flight simulator, and a full size Boeing 314 flying boat replica for (big) kids to run amuck in. And if you're not the aviation type, Foynes is also the birthplace of the Irish coffee. In homage, they do a pretty good one here - coffee that's not too scalding and proper cream from a cow (not a can). Adult entrance is about ten quid, there's a family ticket for 2 adults and up to 4 kids for €25, and kids under 5 are free. On that note, you might have to put up with noisy shouty kids (the place attracts families), but they're generally not interested in the information rooms and move through quickly. The museum is shut December through February. It's a bit of a left fielder, but if you're in Limerick it's only 25 minutes away...

A really nice place to visit, however I had very high expectations for this museum. I had just read 'Night Over Water' by Ken Follett and wished I could have seen an actual full size exact replica. The replica is nice but it is not an exact replica because of the details that were missed. I really wish American Airlines or some airlines company could spot a couple million to build a real plane and fly it to donate to the museum. That would be amazing. The rest of Shannon and Foynes is incredible. The Irish coffee was a cool experience.