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IrishFireside via Flickr

Two US military planes landed at Shannon in one day last month

Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore said that the aircraft contained no arms, ammunition or intelligence gathering equipment.

TÁNAISTE EAMON GILMORE has confirmed that two US military planes landed at Shannon Airport in one day last month.

When questioned by Independent TD Clare Daly, about the destination, purpose and cargo of the two aircraft which landed at Shannon on 30 June, Gilmore confirmed that the Department of Foreign Affairs had received a request from the US Embassy five days beforehand.

The request was for two Hercules C-130 aircraft to land at the airport for the purposes of “crew resting and refuelling”. Gilmore said both flights were en route from Trapani-Birgi, Italy to Newfoundland Canada.

“The requests confirmed that the aircraft carried no arms, ammunition, explosives, photographic or intelligence gathering equipment,” he added.

The Tánaiste said that details provided by Daly about a third aircraft were insufficient to identify its destination, purpose and cargo as required.

Activists have continued to call for the government to stop allowing the US military to land at Shannon. In May this year, a report showed that Ireland was one of 54 countries that had helped to facilitate the CIA’s secret detention, rendition and interrogation programme in the years after 9/11.

Read: “No evidence of rendition” in garda investigations>
Read: Report shows Ireland facilitated CIA rendition programme>

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53 Comments
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    Mute murphy 11
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    Jul 15th 2013, 8:00 PM

    Flew from Shannon a few time when d planes were in, d restaurant made sum money and regardless of ur views these soldiers were v friendly and courteous . These people are doing a job. It’s government policy dat people don’t agree with.

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    Mute seamus mcdermott
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    Jul 15th 2013, 8:40 PM

    I agree completely. If my job is to drag your kid into a plane, blindfold him, strap him to a pallet with wire ties, put a hood over his head and keep him in a cage in Cuba for 8 years with no legal due process, you’d not hold that against me, eh?

    83
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    Mute Simon Jester
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    Jul 15th 2013, 9:31 PM

    Or of course if your son was a little scrote that somehow offended your neighbours or you did somehow in your rather primitive culture,and they see a good way of getting rid of him for large amounts of cash to some gulliable Westerners who are looking for Al Queida.Why not just get rid of the problem and make a lifetimes income in one night,and play possibly two sides against each other as well,by telling you your inncoent sweet likkle goatherding son was whisked away by the evil infidels??
    You wouldnt hold that against the neighbours either???

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    Mute Jim Flavin
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    Jul 15th 2013, 10:09 PM

    ”these soldiers were v friendly and courteous . These people are doing a job”
    so – if they are facilitating torturing someone – or doing it themselves – that’s fine ??.
    Not a surprising comment really – when one thinks of the reaction to the deportation of a Muslim cleric from UK last week .The general reaction in that article / thread was that he should be tortured if necessary – to make him confess – beyond belief .
    ‘should Obama or Cameron be tortured until they confess their war crimes ??

    29
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    Mute Kathleen Mavourneen
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    Jul 15th 2013, 10:26 PM

    You sound like quite the ‘scrote’ yourself Simon Jester. (so annoying the way people parrot other peoples phrases on here, pure sign of a lame brain)

    22
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    Mute Owen Slattery
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    Jul 15th 2013, 11:32 PM

    And you think they are doing all of that on a flight from Italy to Canada?

    18
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    Mute Jimmy
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    Jul 15th 2013, 7:40 PM

    Great to see…a steady flow of badly needed income for the Mid-West…the welcome mat is always on the floor for business!

    174
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    Mute Beibhinn
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    Jul 15th 2013, 8:04 PM

    Those planes were just resting on my runway…

    131
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    Mute M
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    Jul 15th 2013, 7:32 PM

    Must be a very slow news day, wow two planes landed.

    103
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    Mute Paul Roche
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    Jul 16th 2013, 1:51 AM

    3

    7
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    Mute Paul Roche
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    Jul 16th 2013, 10:07 AM

    Was attempting the shortest comment ever! An answer of “1″ would have been better.

    1
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    Mute BRIAN KENNEDY
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    Jul 15th 2013, 8:58 PM

    Are the planes camouflaged in that photo?

    98
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    Mute Simon Jester
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    Jul 15th 2013, 9:20 PM

    US Stealth technology is great isnt it Brian?? :}}

    36
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    Mute Tom Keating
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    Jul 16th 2013, 7:56 AM

    Using a cloak! :-)

    6
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    Mute Jed I. Knight
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    Jul 15th 2013, 8:28 PM

    To tell the truth I’d be more worried by some of the Ryanair landings I’ve seen at Dublin than the US military at Shannon.

    91
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    Mute Jigsaw
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    Jul 15th 2013, 8:12 PM

    The more the merrier

    81
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    Mute steve white
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    Jul 15th 2013, 7:30 PM

    only 2?

    68
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    Mute Enola Straight
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    Jul 15th 2013, 8:13 PM

    And the problem is??

    103
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    Mute Taxi Bill
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    Jul 15th 2013, 8:40 PM

    Not enough!

    76
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    Mute wongster
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    Jul 15th 2013, 9:16 PM

    They landed? That’s strange… and they were definitely planes… wowzaa…

    32
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    Mute richardmccarthy
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    Jul 15th 2013, 8:16 PM

    Maybe the socialist leftys are praying for the day when North Korea or Communist China stopped off and refueled at Shannon instead of the US,who they see as the hated capitalists,Miss Daly and company would no doubt have a guard of honour there to meet and greet Kim jong un.

    61
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    Mute seamus mcdermott
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    Jul 15th 2013, 8:41 PM

    Take yer meds.

    27
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    Mute Pat Flynn
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    Jul 15th 2013, 7:32 PM

    There was considerably more than two last month. The two mentioned here were just on that particular day.

    60
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    Mute Mark Brislane
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    Jul 15th 2013, 11:57 PM

    Go away outta that you gowl!

    10
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    Mute Denise Friary
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    Jul 15th 2013, 7:44 PM

    I wouldn’t be surprised to see Enda cleaning the planes he does everything else for them.

    50
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    Mute Graham--
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    Jul 15th 2013, 7:49 PM

    He might serve drinks on them

    24
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    Mute Oliver Walker
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    Jul 15th 2013, 7:52 PM

    The Tánaiste continued by adding ‘the plane also didnt contain any transmitter equipment of any kind,any toilet,any seats,cargo bay or overhead compartments’

    37
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    Mute vv7k7Z3c
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    Jul 15th 2013, 7:54 PM

    Oops, I forgot to add that bit in.

    35
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    Mute Oliver Walker
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    Jul 15th 2013, 9:09 PM

    It was basically an empty shell inside it and used as a party plane for a well known take-away franchise :)

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    Mute Jed I. Knight
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    Jul 15th 2013, 10:35 PM

    So if there’s no arms, ammunition, explosives, photographic or intelligence gathering equipment, and it doesn’t contain any transmitter equipment, a toilet, any seats, a cargo bay or overhead compartments. What the Hell was on the damn plane, it had to contain something or have a purpose for flying around?
    Did anyone from the gardai or customs actually board these planes and carry out any sort of inspection or do we now just take the word of foreign governments who wouldn’t grant us the same courtesy?

    21
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    Mute Donal O Neil
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    Jul 15th 2013, 7:57 PM

    So did Enda don an overalls to check these planes out or did he hear this from the US ambassador ?”don’t worry you pretty little teachers head on ya , there’s nothing on those planes there just flying around out there taking the pilots for a joy ride …..

    34
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    Mute David Conlon
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    Jul 15th 2013, 9:20 PM

    I wish two landed every day.

    27
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    Mute Cian O Donnell
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    Jul 15th 2013, 7:32 PM

    Yes Gilmore personally checked this but he did finally find those W.M.D’s and Santa Claus inside.

    24
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    Mute Jacque Koffe
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    Jul 15th 2013, 7:36 PM

    exactly, like the cia/nsa are going to tell potato head gilmore the truth.

    Was this a rendition flight?

    63
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    Mute steve white
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    Jul 15th 2013, 8:02 PM

    these planes themselves are military equipment, they are the just as much a problem as what they might carry while passing through shannon

    23
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    Mute New Property
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    Jul 15th 2013, 7:41 PM

    The use of the airport will lead to disaster, either by real terrorist or some one will fake a terrorist attack in Ireland to make us believe the use is really needed.

    18
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    Mute OU812
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    Jul 15th 2013, 7:46 PM

    I sincerely doubt that.

    75
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    Mute Elrat
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    Jul 15th 2013, 8:25 PM

    Dats total bollix!

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    Mute Graham Hunt
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    Jul 16th 2013, 8:27 AM

    I think terrorists have plenty more things higher up the list than bomb a regional airport on a small rock in the Atlantic where American planes have filled up their tanks.

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    Mute Kerry Blake
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    Jul 15th 2013, 9:37 PM

    No intelligence equipment on board as it’s all in use in various EU buildings as shown last week.

    16
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    Mute Jim Flavin
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    Jul 15th 2013, 10:01 PM

    ”Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore said that the aircraft contained no arms, ammunition or intelligence gathering equipment.”
    Does he really expect anyone to believe that ??
    ”The Tánaiste said that details provided by Daly about a third aircraft were insufficient to identify its destination, purpose and cargo as required.”
    He should have known himself about any third plane – and not be expecting another TD to give him that info . Iit was his job to know – but he chose again to dodge the issue .

    16
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    Mute _doesnotcompute
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    Jul 16th 2013, 11:12 AM

    In all fairness, it’s not his job to know about every aircraft that lands in the country on a daily basis. He’s more in his line to be worrying about.

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    Mute steve white
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    Jul 15th 2013, 7:44 PM

    the changed headline is even stupider’

    13
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    Mute steve white
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    Jul 15th 2013, 7:49 PM

    the changed headline is even more stupid, (i’ll correct myself)

    20
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    Mute Johnny Reynolds
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    Jul 15th 2013, 11:10 PM

    And we’re supposedly neutral LOL

    13
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    Mute Dominic Kyle
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    Jul 15th 2013, 8:14 PM

    There always there

    13
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    Mute Francis Foley
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    Jul 16th 2013, 12:08 AM

    Those serial protesters who picket Shannon when so much as an off course American Seagull land there make my blood boil. That disgrace to the Irish Army Ex Commandant Edward Horgan is top of my list of wasters. So what a Hercules transport aircraft landed and thankfully nobody else but these wastes of space give a damn!

    12
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    Mute Anthony Byrne
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    Jul 16th 2013, 1:16 AM

    And in other news…, some cars were spotted in a petrol filling station …

    12
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    Mute Patch Quinn
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    Jul 15th 2013, 9:29 PM

    And…..

    8
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    Mute Joseph Siddall
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    Jul 15th 2013, 11:57 PM

    Some posters on here need to take a course in proper conspiracy theory generation. The attempts displayed to-day are infantile. So two freight aircraft land at Shannon to rest and refuel. Not really any sort of news story.
    Come on folks, concentrate on the real stuff.
    The interesting ‘planes are the all-white or all-grey ones without visible nationality markings or serial numbers. Now they are worth wondering about. A couple of Fat Alberts ? No.

    6
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    Mute Simon Jester
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    Jul 15th 2013, 9:25 PM

    TBH it wouldnt be the hardest thing to do .Wouldnt even need the luxury of a man portable surface to air missile.
    A nicked Tops oil fuel truck or the like and one crazy wishing for an appointment with Allah,crashing thru one of the flimsy gates around the field and drive headlong into the planes undercarrige on the takeoff roll.Full plane,fully fueled up,fully fuelled up tanker truck…..Reckon they will hear that Boom in Mecca!

    5
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    Mute _doesnotcompute
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    Jul 16th 2013, 11:07 AM

    The paperwork that the US Embassy lodged with the Dept of Foreign Affairs may very well have stated that there were no arms, ammunition, explosives, photographic or intelligence gathering equipment on board, but were the aircraft inspected by the Irish authorities to confirm this is the case? Or are such flights immune from such searches on a reciporical basis?

    Also from the sound of things, the request doesn’t explicitly state that there were no prisoners of war or “enemy combatants” onboard.

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    Mute Andrea Brodie
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    Jul 23rd 2013, 5:25 PM

    Crew resting and refueling after a 3 or 4 hr flight from Italy? You must be joking.

    1
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