Shannon night before the demo

national | miscellaneous | news report Saturday January 18, 2003 03:14 by Tim Hourigan - one man on this big round rock

the warm up was bigger than some previous demos

Airport eerily quiet, hardly anyone in it at all. Airport police set up a check point on the main road. A US MILITARY HERCULES landed It parked near cargo terminal. Ryanair landed 5 minutes later, went to usual stand close to the Herc. We announced this in the terminal. I called the cops. Ryanair passengers were visibly shocked, as they left the terminal, the words "apalling" and "disgrace" were used to describe the presence of the Hercules. then ATA landed. then lots of peace activists started arriving up from the camp. Then the troops got back on their plane (much earlier than planned) AND THEN IT LEFT.

That's right.
The night before the demo and there was a big bunch of people at the peace camp. some of the demos have seen smaller crowds than was standing at the peace camp.

I went up to the airport with Ed and John Gormley.
There was hardly a soul there.
We went for food in the airport hotel, and met Reuters in there. We got their number and told them we'd ring them if we saw anything.
We had just come out of the door and the first thing I hear is a Hercules taxiing in.
I couldn't see it but I could hear it.
It parked on the apron between the cargo and passenger terminals. It's still there (02:13)
It has US military markings but its too dark to make out much of them.

We went back to the peace camp and told everyone.
We called Reuters, they were there in 5 minutes.
John Gormley went with me, Ed and two journalists to the terminal. One was good old Eammon C.

The ever-vigilant airport police had set up a checkpoint, but were busy trying to stop people on foot so we drove by.

Just before we went into the terminal we did an interview with a young woman in the car park

I asked her if she had just come off Ryanair.
She said she had.
I asked her if she knew that the ryanair plane was parked next to a US Hercules.
She asked if I was pulling her leg.
I assured her I wasn't.
She was very surprised.

We went inside, viewing gallery was locked.
I phoned the cops.
Airport police came over to us.
I said "It's okay, we've already phoned the police to come and inspect the military plane which just landed".

A lot of people looked up in disbelief.
One airport worker told me that he had no problem with it.
I told him I had a problem with it, and maybe other people would too if they knew.
"hands up here how many people knew that there is a US military plane parked over there near the Ryanair jet?"

No hands went up.
Some people got up.
Some people left.
As they went, they said that they thought it was appalling and a disgrace what was going on.

The airport police were not sure what to do with themselves.

Ed spotted ATA arriving.
We went to the side car park for a look.
More people were walking up from the camp
Then the cops arrived.
They asked John Gormley to sit into the squad car.
They drove up a bit and explained that they would be passing the query to immigration.
As another bunch arrived into the carpark, we saw the troops heading back to their plane, rather briskly.
The plane was there less than an hour, much shorter than it takes to fuel.
The troops were leaving early.
They left because they knew their welcome had expired.

I'm not even going to finish this.
come see for yourself.