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Michael Kelly from Limerick, Ireland, donated the biggest private collection of model aircraft to the Shannon Airport last September.
The collection included 2,300 model aircraft that the 67-year-old retiree accumulated from all over the world for more than five decades. Kelly’s collection contained items that are over 40 years old. It also featured some notable models like the Concorde and planes from Aer Lingus [air LING-guh s], Ireland’s national airline.
Kelly estimated that the money he spent on his collection amounted to more than half a million dollars.
Although many foreign exhibitors expressed interest in his collection, Kelly chose to donate his aircraft models to the Shannon Airport, the place where his love of aviation began. When Kelly was young, his father took him to the Shannon Airport and Kelly witnessed some airplanes land and take off. Thus, giving his collection to the place where his obsession started allowed Kelly’s passion for aircraft to come full circle.
The Shannon Airport opened the exhibit of Kelly’s collection during the latter part of September. About 1,500 of the models are permanently shown in the airport’s Departures Lounge. Over time, the other aircraft models will be swapped in for the ones currently on display.
According to the Shannon Group Board’s chairperson, Rose Hynes, the exhibit exemplifies the airport’s commitment to making its passengers happy. Moreover, Hynes believes that the display adds to the passengers’ experience of having a good and easy time at the airport.