Abbeyleix House and Farm opened its gates to the local community on Sunday, 29th June, for a family day and air display. Aircraft from across the country were invited to the airstrip, which is owned by aviation enthusiast, pilot and Stripe co-founder John Collison. There was an excellent turnout, but parts of the country were shrouded in fog and low cloud, which prevented some of the air display participants from making the trip. The Air Display kicked off at 2 pm with some formation passes by Gerry Humphreys in his RV7 (EI-HUM) and Eddie Goggins in his Cap 232 (G-IIAI). This was followed by a display by two Irish Historic Flight Chipmunks (168 and 169) flown by Mark Dwyer and Dave Friel. Then Gerry and Eddie put on individual displays, much to the delight of the attending crowd. Thanks to Michael Comyn for the video below and to Frank Grealish and Sonya Cooley for the photos below. Thanks also to Sé Pardy and Bernard Cullen, who put in the work behind the scenes to make the air display such a success.
