Discussions on proposal for Alcock & Brown Centre in Connemara

Galway Bay fm newsroom – Meetings have taken place in Clifden between businessmen from Britain and local interests about developing a centre to commemorate the Alcock and Brown connection to the area.
There is a suggestion that the airstrip site near Cleggan could be a site for the proposed tourism venture.
The businessmen with the idea of a centre commemorating the first ever direct transatlantic flight by Alcock and Brown almost one hundred years ago, visited the airstrip near Cleggan this week.
They also met members of the Clifden and West Connemara Airport Board – the group that originally championed the campaign for air services to west Connemara and Inishbofin.
The proposal has also been discussed with Gaeltacht and Natural Resources Minister, Seán Kyne, and with other groups and business people in Clifden.
The businessmen concerned recently made a submission in regard to the airstrips in Cleggan and Inishbofin – these airstrips have remained unused for a number of years.
While no concrete plans are in place, the general idea is that a centre – probably containing a replica of the Alcock and Brown plane from 1919 – would be developed with a €20 million investment being mooted.
Initial figures suggest it could attract a half million visitors per year.