Large attendance present at ceremony
On June 15 Archbishop Diarmuid Martin concelebrated the 50th anniversary of the opening of the church of Our Lady Queen of Heaven at Dublin Airport with the current airport chaplain Fr Desmond Doyle and former chaplains Fr Tommy McCarthy, Fr Ben Mulligan and a number of local clergy.
There was a large attendance at the little airport church with its concrete bell tower and landscaped entrance courtyard where the airport chaplain entertained the congregation to tea and sandwiches as they shared memories of 50 years of airport chaplaincy.
The initiative for the church came from a group of aviation employees and with the support and cooperation of the then Chief Executive of Aer Lingus/Aer Rianta/Aerlinte J F Dempsey, who facilitated this by the allocation of an appropriate site at the centre of the then Dublin Airport.
Down through the years airport chaplains have played an important role in the life of many airline and airport staff, with weddings, baptisms and funerals, as well as providing daily and Sunday services.