Mayo Lighthouse fly-over being explored for D-Day celebrations

THE possibility of a military aircraft flyover of Blacksod Lighthouse is being explored for June as part of the 80th anniversary celebrations of the D-Day landings in 1944.

A number of events are currently being organised to take place in Blacksod on June 6 as part of the 80th anniversary of the landing of Allied Forces on the beaches of Normandy on June 6, 1944.

The D-Day Normandy landings was the turning point in the war against Nazi Germany and gave the Allied Forces a staging post for the liberation of France and the eventual end of World War II less than 12 months later.

The landings were originally due to take place on June 5, 1944 but were postponed by 24 hours thanks to the weather report from Blacksod lighthouse which forecast bad weather. The weather report by the then 21-year-old Maureen Sweeney played a pivotal role in the outcome of the war with many historians claiming that without it the Normandy landings may not have been as successful.

The local community are planning a number of events to mark the role Blacksod played in ending the war. Fergus Sweeney, the Tourism Office with the local Solas Visitor Experience and Tourism Hub, who is also the grandson of Maureen, told The Mayo News that plans are at an early stage but they are looking at the possibility of getting an aircraft to do a flyover on June 6.

Early stages

“We are at the early stages of planning but we hope to have an event at Blacksod lighthouse with an event at sunrise to make the first hour the troops landed at Normandy,” he explained.

“We are looking at the feasibility of having an aircraft fly-by so whether that is an Irish Air Corps aircraft or if we could get one of the vintage aircrafts which would have been in the skies of Europe that day for the anniversary. We would love it if they could divert to Mayo to do a flyover of the lighthouse.

“For the 75th anniversary, a bunch of guys parachuted into Normandy to recreate the paratroopers landing. They were in communications with Blacksod Lighthouse that morning and we sent them a weather report to reenact the whole thing. We think that we might have enough connections to get a crew to fly a plane over but we have to look at the logistics. We will know more later on if it is possible but the plan is to have a day long event,” he said.

A native of Kerry, Maureen also worked for the post office at Blacksod and later married Ted Sweeney who was the lighthouse keeper at the time. Fergus explained that they are working with Met Éireann and An Post and the Defence Forces to be part of the occasion.

“The plan after that would be for a marquee at the lighthouse with a representative from Met Éireann and An Post and the Defence Forces who would be on hand with materials relating to the D-Day weather forecast and what was life like for An Post during the emergency.

“It will give people an understanding of how the war affected these three agencies because they were all agencies Maureen was connected with – Met Éireann through her weather reports, An Post working in the post office and the fact Ted, Maureen's husband was involved with the Coast Watch service during the war.

“The plan is to have a day long event at Blacksod Lighthouse so people can get a better understanding of Met Éireann, An Post and the Defence Forces during the war and tie it back into Maureen's life and Blacksod's role in D-Day,” he explained adding that they hope to secure funding from Mayo County Council for the event.

US Recognition

The role played by Maureen in ending the war has been recognised significantly in recent years with the US House of Representatives awarding her a Congressional Record.

“Through research we have realised how crucial the weather forecast was and how much on a knife edge the Allied command was on,” said Fergus. “There was a fine line between success and failure so when we look at what Maureen did and the diligence in her weather forecast it was her information which allowed Eishenhower to take the gamble on D-Day.”

Maureen died last December at the age of 101 years and Fergus admitted that they had hoped she would live long enough to see the 80th anniversary. However he added that the event will also be an opportunity to remember her and celebrate her long life.

“For the family it is a big one and this is a time for us all to celebrate Maureen's role properly,” he said.