Some time ago I helped a friend of mine based in Ireland who performs research & production tasks for documentaries. The project team she was part of were putting together a new movie about Irish aviation and its heritage. It turns out that the movie was commissioned by Avolon (an aircraft leasing company) and is called Pioneers & Aviators.
The movie covers the history of aviation in Ireland ranging from Alcock & Brown landing in Derrygimla bog after making the first trans-Atlantic air crossing through to modern airlines and the 787. It is due for screening as a two part series in February 2014 by RTE, Ireland’s National Television & Radio Broadcaster.
The world premier for the movie was held on January 22nd in Dublin and guests were given a special memento of the event that consisted of a silver disc with the movie name & premier date on one side and a map of Alcock & Brown’s route from Newfoundland to Ireland on the other. The disc had a chain attached to it which was in turn connected to a small silver container with a glass vial inside it. The vial contains some of the turf from the Derrygimla bog, giving the holder a link to the landing spot of that historic flight.
As a way of saying thanks for my help, my friend has sent me one of these mementos. Suffice to say, I’m very happy to receive it and will treasure it in my collection of aviation items.
I’m looking forward to when the movie is available on DVD so I can get a copy and watch it. For now, you can learn more about it by visiting:
- The movie’s website
- The Avolon press release announcing the premier
The presentation box
The box’s contents
Describing the contents of the vial
The back of the disc with a rough map
The glass vial containing turf from the bog where Alcock & Brown landed
I love the last photo… Silver cased piece of a swamp! Nice!
Sounds like an interesting movie nonetheless…