Ireland was still facilitating war and war crimes at Shannon Airport last week. On Thursday August 15th a US Navy Hercules C-130T landed at about 18.20 coming from Joint Base McGuire–Dix–Lakehurst near New York. Its registration number is 16-4998.

Image source: here (Creative Commons license)

Two days earlier, on August 13th, another US Navy C130T registration 16-5349 landed at Shannon at about 11.12am coming from Brussels. On August 9th it was patrolling in the Persian Gulf with landings in Bahrain and UAE. And on August 11th it flew from Bahrain to Brussels via a refuelling stop at Chania in Crete. 

Peace activists have started to hold vigils at Shannon Airport every weekend for the months of July and August, with the aim of highlighting and challenging the Irish government’s role in assisting the United States military in its overseas wars, and the war on Gaza in particular, by allowing military aircraft to transit and transport weaponry through Shannon. All are welcome to participate.

The vigils are being held from 6am each SAturday and Sunday morning, with the organisers keen to have a visible presence as passengers disembark from international flights and leave the airport.

At Shannon today the Gardai were asked to search and investigate a US Air Force Boeing C40 registration 02-0042 that was at Shannon Airport, having come from Tel Aviv in Israel. The request was made of the Inspector in Charge at the barricades that blocked our access to the airport, and it was made on the basis that the US is assisting Israel with genocide against the Palestinian people. The inspector said he acknowledged the request, but did not say whether the aircraft would be searched or investigated.

Shannon Airport was awash with US Army personnel this morning (May 6th), as two plane loads of troops sat around the duty free waiting to be brought home.

Omni Air International flight OAE574 / OY574 left Shannon with the first plane load of troops at 6 minutes past midday, on its way to Hunter Air Force Base in Savannah, Georgia. It had also been at Shannon yesterday, arriving at around 21.10 and leaving at 23.40.

The following statement was read today at the entrance to Shannon Airport. A copy was handed to the Gardai who are asked to ensure weapons or other military support is not being provided via Shannon to the state of Israel in breach of international laws.

Successive Irish Governments since 1939 have continuously stated that the Irish State was and is pursuing a policy of neutrality. Up until 1955 this was an isolationist type of neutrality, but when Ireland was allowed to join the United Nations and became involved in UN peacekeeping operations, a policy of active neutrality has been pursued promoting international peace and justice. This policy is supported by the vast majority of the Irish people. As a result, the Irish government is obliged to comply with international laws on neutrality. These obligations are being seriously breached by US military use of Shannon Airport while the US has been waging wars of aggression in the Middle East and elsewhere.

On April 10th, a US Air Force C17 Globemaster transport aircraft number 08-8201 arrived at Shannon Airport at 22.50, coming from MacDill US Air Force Base in Tampa Florida. After refuelling it took off at 00.55am on April 11th and flew on directly to Tel Aviv, Israel.

Today, April 13th, this same aircraft has been tracked over Israel and over Lebanon.

A major national mobilisation against the US military use of Shannon Airport will be held in Shannon on Sunday April 14^th. It will call for an immediate end to the use of the airport by the US military. The particular context is the ongoing military support by the US for Israel’s genocide in Gaza. The gathering is being supported by all the major anti-war organisations in the country, and by the Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign.

At least 1,000 armed US soldiers are likely to have passed through Shannon Airport over a 24 hour period covering Friday and Saturday last, and several hundred more probably passed through Irish airspace, mainly to and from the Middle East. All were on Omni Air flights on contract to the US military, and there may well have been more on other airlines. Shannon Airport is being used to support multiple wars in the Middle East and in Ukraine.

We've put together a list of some of the US military and military contracted aircraft landing at Shannon Airport or travelling through Irish airspace between 7th October 2023 and 17th March (St Patrick's Day). Most of them were going to or from the Middle East.

Over 70 aircraft are listed, but this is unlikely to be the full list.

Shannon Airport and Irish airspace are being used almost on a daily basis to support US military involvement in wars in Ukraine, the Middle East and Africa. By permitting these flights, Ireland is also supporting the war crimes and genocide by Israel against the Palestinian people. The real extent of our complicity in what's happening in Gaza is unknown however, because most US military flights that land in Israel do not show up as landing there.

A sit-in protest was held inside Ireland's Shannon Airport this morning, where activists holding signs read a statement followed by a reading of the names of children killed in the conflict in Gaza.

STATEMENT: Good Friday is not the time for good people to be silent.

All around Ireland, ordinary people like us are horrified at what is being done to the Palestinian people. We have demonstrated, lobbied, fundraised, protested, petitioned, and taken direct action in an attempt to convince those who represent us to take all the measures available to stop this genocide. This has not happened. Despite some strong rhetoric, we’ve seen little action.