A little bit of Irish Aviation History in Irish Silver

A little bit of Irish Aviation History in Irish Silver.

My father was a dealer in Antique Irish silver throughout his life, as was his father before
him.
He also flew airplanes in his spare time and was a member of the Irish Aero Club in the
1930’s.
He had a lot of friends from the Irish Air Corps at Baldonnel, as that was where the Irish
Aero Club was based at the time and where he had learned to fly.
An Irish National Aviation Day took place in the Phoenix Park in Dublin in 1935. It was a huge
air display and among those taking part were the Irish Aero Club, the Irish Air Corps, and a
well-known Air Circus of the day. There were upwards of 70,000 spectators watching it.
Ruth Hallinan flying a Gipsy Moth airplane won the International Air Trophy Arrival
competition that year, 1935, and was presented with a trophy by Irish Hospitals Trust Ltd.
That Irish Silver Trophy won by Ruth Hallinan in 1935 depicts a silver winged lady standing
upon a silver Globe with the island of Ireland proudly highlighted on it. The base of the
trophy is composed of Connemara marble and is just short of 15 inches high.
Engraved on the base in silver is “ Miss. R. Hallinan 1935. Cork Aero Club ”
The extraordinarily beautiful Art Nouveau Irish silver trophy was presented to my father the
following year when he won it. “ Mr. W.Weldon Irish Aero Club” is engraved on it for 1936,
alongside the first female from Munster to obtain her “ A” Aviators licence and only the
second female in Ireland to do so, the renowned Cork aviator Ruth Hallinan.
Martin Weldon
( My thanks to Michael Traynor, for his kind permission to use some information from his “
Petticoat Pilots, Biographies and Achievements of Irish Female Aviators 1909-1939” in two
Volumns)