13 October 2026
AirNav Ireland’s North Atlantic Communications Centre at Ballygirreen, Co. Clare, is celebrating 90 years of continuous service to global aviation.Since 1936, the centre has ensured the safe passage of millions of aircraft crossing the North Atlantic, cementing Ireland’s critical role as the gateway between Europe and North America.
Operating beyond the reach of traditional radar and VHF radio coverage, the centre utilises High Frequency (HF) shortwave radio to connect with aircraft crossing the Atlantic. By bouncing radio waves off the ionosphere, Ballygirreen’s team overcomes the curvature of the Earth to maintain constant contact with pilots over the ocean.
Today, approximately 70 personnel, including more than 50 radio officers supported by technical, engineering and administrative teams, manage air-ground communications across the Shanwick Oceanic Control Area, handling up to 1,800 flights daily.
AirNav Ireland also works in close partnership with Avians, Iceland's air navigation service provider, to deliver High Frequency (HF) radio communications services across both the Shanwick and Reykjavik Oceanic Control Areas. Together, the two organisations provide seamless communications coverage for aircraft operating across vast areas of the North Atlantic, supporting the safe and efficient movement of thousands of flights between Europe and North America every day. This long-standing partnership is an example of the international cooperation that underpins modern transatlantic aviation.
Speaking at a special anniversary exhibition showcasing historical photographs and memorabilia, Mr Gerald Caffrey, Chief Executive of AirNav Ireland, said it was a proud moment for staff, past and present, and their families to celebrate nine decades of dedicated service to international aviation.
"As an island nation, Ireland relies heavily on aviation to connect people, business, and cultures worldwide. The unwavering commitment of the team at North Atlantic Communications Centre over the last ninety years has made our airspace one of the safest and most efficient in the world."
"Today, AirNav Ireland continues to invest in the people and technology that support our operations in the Mid-West. The expertise of our radio officers, engineers and technical specialists, combined with advanced communications systems and our partnership with Avians in Iceland, ensures we continue to provide a world-class service to aircraft crossing the North Atlantic. As aviation continues to evolve, Ballygirreen remains at the forefront of safe and efficient international air traffic management," he said.
The history of Ballygirreen is deeply rooted in local family traditions and seafaring heritage, with many early radio officers transitioning from careers in the Merchant Navy.
Radio Officer Mike Kirwan joined Shannon Aeradio in 1980, following in the footsteps of his father, one of the original 1936 marine radio officers who helped establish the station to guide pioneering flying boats.
Tim O'Mahony trained as a radio officer at the Marine Radio School in Limerick and served on global trade routes with the Marconi Marine Company. He joined Ballygirreen in 1971, serving across both the main communications centre and the Urlanmore transmitter station until his retirement in 2013.
Established in October 1936 on a 90-acre site near Shannon, the station initially provided ground communications via Morse code for transatlantic flying boats operating out of Foynes. Following the expansion of commercial aviation after World War II, a move to the current purpose-built facility in 1951 coincided with the industry's transition from Morse code to voice communications.
In 1966, a landmark agreement between the Irish and UK Governments merged regional oceanic responsibilities, pairing air traffic control at Prestwick with radio communications at Ballygirreen to create the joint Shanwick operational framework, which remains a cornerstone of North Atlantic air traffic operations today.
The station's signal is powered by its companion transmission facility at Urlanmore, featuring a vast antenna array, including five 225-foot log-periodic antennas that beam high-power audio across the Shanwick and Reykjavik control areas.
Over nine decades, the centre has monitored the evolution of commercial flight, from the pioneering flying boats and Douglas DC-3 aircraft of the 1930s, through the jet age and the era of the Boeing 747, to today's modern long-range fleets.
Adding a fitting touch to the celebrations, Aer Lingus's oldest surviving aircraft, the Iolar (Irish for eagle), registration EI-ABI and dating from 1936, conducted a fly-past over the event on the morning of the anniversary celebrations.
End
Mike Kirwan’s story
After six years of long sea voyages with Marconi and the Kuwait Shipping Company, the rhythm of three months home and six months away took its toll. Seeking a better life for family, I stepped ashore and joined Shannon Aeradio at Ballygirreen on July 6, 1980.
In a way, I was simply following a family trend. My father was one of the original marine radio officers who helped establish Ballygirreen in October 1936 to guide Atlantic flying boats by Morse code. He left during WWII to track U-boats for the Admiralty—even helping locate the Bismarck—before returning to work as a Technical Radio Officer at Urlanmore.
Starting out in 1980, I joined a camaraderie of fellow ex-marine officers who shared tales of distant ports over shift rotations of days, evenings, and nights. Among our ranks was legendary Officer-in-Charge Michael O'Connor ("Sir Michael"), whose ship was torpedoed in WWII—saved only because the cargo of tea smothered the blast. Michael lived to be 108, passing in 2022 as Ireland’s oldest man.
During my 37½ years on HF air/ground communications, I held watch through some of aviation's most pivotal moments. On June 23, 1985, I was on duty when Air India Flight 182 was tragically bombed over the Atlantic; Shannon Aeradio was the last station to speak with them. Years later, I sat at the console on the chaotic evening of September 11, 2001, as transatlantic airspace ground to a sudden halt.
Though digital automation and satellites replaced traditional marine radio watches in 1999, high-frequency radio remains vital. Space weather and orbital debris make physical ionospheric waves an irreplaceable backup, ensuring Ballygirreen's voice stays alive in the skies.
I retired on January 2nd, 2018, at age 65. Today, fifteen of us retired colleagues still gather on the first Tuesday of every month in Bunratty, bound by memories of crackling airwaves, shared history, and a lifetime spent connecting the Atlantic.
Tim O’Mahony’s story
The static of the shortwave band was the soundtrack of my boyhood in Fedamore. I would sit by the radio, turning the dial until a crackling voice cut through the airwaves: "This is Shannon Aeradio." I didn’t know it then, but I was listening to my own future, transmitting from a quiet corner of County Clare called Ballygirreen.
My path there began at the old St. Munchin’s on Henry Street in Limerick, home to the Marine Radio School. Leaving there armed with my license, I joined the Marconi Marine Communications Company in 1968, posted to their Liverpool Depot.
My first voyage, as a junior Radio Officer, was aboard Shell Tankers’ Donacilla, bound for the Persian Gulf. By a twist of fate, the senior officer assigned to train me was Matt Farrelly. Matt had worked at Ballygirreen before taking to the high seas. Over the steady hum of the wireless room, he painted pictures of the station back home.
Soon after I was trusted to sail alone, serving as sole Radio Officer aboard the MV Villegas down to Spain, the MV Veloz from New York deep into the Amazon, and the SS Roland bound for Brazil and Argentina.
Yet, the sea eventually pulled me back toward the Shannon estuary. In February 1971, I arrived at Ballygirreen as a Radio Officer. Following three months of intense training, I settled into the rhythm of the operations room.
Work meant moving between distinct worlds every few hours—sitting at Radio Telephone positions, reading airport weather forecasts on the Volmet broadcast, managing the ADX message switching system, or working the Track Sheets to log transatlantic flight paths and coordinate route changes directly with Prestwick ATC.
The airspace was quiet then compared to the crowded skies of today, but those years brought a quiet revolution in tech as we transitioned from the old Amplitude Modulation transmitters to Single Sideband units and modern receivers.
In 1978, I moved to the Shannon Control Tower as a Technical Officer, but by 1981, I found my true home at Urlanmore Transmitting Station.
Urlanmore was the engine powering Ballygirreen’s voice, sending audio out across the Shanwick and Iceland control areas through a massive forest of steel—five 225-foot Log Periodic antennas, seven omnidirectional masts, and four wideband dipoles.
Between 1981 and 1985, before the technical staff were fully amalgamated back into Ballygirreen, Urlanmore was kept running by a close-knit group of us. It was a small crew, working harmoniously amidst the hum of high-power transmitters, making the station feel like a genuine home from home.
My brother Robert joined the technical team at Ballygirreen in 1972, making it a true family enterprise until his retirement in 2012. When my own turn to step away came in October 2013, after more than four decades, I returned home to Fedamore. Today, I keep in close touch with the old circle from the Henry Street Radio School, Ballygirreen, Shannon, and Telecom Éireann—bound together by a lifetime spent keeping the airwaves open.