Looking for “junk” at Irish Airports
In early-April, Cloverland travelled to Ireland, searching for “Irish Horn Rosaries,” “Bog Oak Irish Harps,” “Brass Leprechauns,” and the elusive “Irish Musical Cottage.” These souvenirs were ones seen by James Bond in the mid-1950s in the novel Diamonds Are Forever in the Shannon Airport during 007’s journey to the U.S.
At that time, Shannon played a vital role in international air travel from London to North America, but British discrimination against the Irish still ran strong. Airport shops may seem like a strange place to examine what has changed over the past seventy years, but like many things in the world of 007, sometimes one finds the most interesting things in the most unexpected places.