Flying Boats, public money and ghostly Irish Coffees

Allan Cavanagh's Irish Coffee of Wonder

Things learned this week about the nation of Ireland;

Ireland is dedicated to introducing the burning white heat of technology to every step of the tourist experience. Thus, Minister Mary Hanifan’s announcement this week of grants provided for projects combining culture and technology. €1,064,000 in all was given out to 27 projects- most of them national cultural institutions. Most of them are relatively modest plans to develop iPhone apps and websites, funded to the tune of about €30k.

But by quite some distance, the largest grant was given to the Foynes Flying Boat Museum for the “Installation of a Pepper Ghost show tracing the history and development of Irish coffee for flying boat passengers at Foynes using “Musion” Technology- 3D Hologram”.

The total amount of public money granted for this ‘Innovative use of emerging technologies’?

Why, a snip at €180,000. That’s 17% of the entire money pot in one go.

And what kind of emerging technology is a Pepper’s Ghost show? Only the cutting edge of stage illusions of the Victorian Age!

UPDATE: As Musion, the provider of the ghost effect say that one costs “up to $20,000” we can only presume the plan is to provide the nation with nine hologram Irish Coffees.

You might be wondering how important the Foynes Flying Boat Museum is to the nation, to scoop the funding pot of cultural grant money like this. Well, fie to you, ignoramous! So vital is the Flying Boat in the country’s future (as well as its past) that the Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey TD appointed the Museum’s director to the National Transport Authority.

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