Lecture Series at Clare Museum – Il Volo Perduto (The Lost Flight) - The Alitalia Disaster at Shannon Airport February 1960

Alitalia Flight 618 was an accident involving a Douglas DC-7C of the Italian airline Alitalia in Shannon, Ireland, in the early hours of February 26, 1960. After a refuelling stop at Shannon Airport, the plane crashed shortly after take-off at Clonloghan Cemetery, with only 18 of the 52 people on board surviving with serious injuries. Peter will tell the story behind this disaster.

Peter McGarry is the author of Falling Stars, which is the complete history of Shannon air crashes from 1946 to 1961. His book has been featured in national media and has sold thousands of units since its launch in early 2023.

Peter is currently working on a follow-on book Rising Stars with journalist, Vincent Power. This next book will explore aviation as it was in its glory days in the 1950s and is being released to coincide with the arrival in Shannon, in late June 2025, of a very special Pan-American, round the world flight which will re-trace the routes of the flying boats.

The talk begins at 7:30pm and admission is free of charge.

While entry is free, there is likely to be a high level of interest in the talk, so those attending are asked to book a seat in advance by emailing: claremuseum@clarecoco.ie

Telephone bookings will not be accepted.

The Lecture Series will continue at Clare Museum on the second Wednesday of each month, until May 2025. Upcoming topics include the archaeology of Skellig Michael, ancient foods, the archaeology of caves in the Burren and much more.

Page last reviewed: 09/12/24

Content managed by: Arts Office

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