'Being home for Christmas, nothing beats it': Flying home to Cork for festive season

Cork Airport was a hive of activity last Friday morning as passengers began arriving on Leeside for Christmas.

There was a holiday buzz in the arrivals hall. Passengers — including football icon Roy Keane — landed at the airport from various destinations around the world.

With the delightful Christmas decorations providing a festive backdrop, there were tears of joy and plenty of smiles. The arrivals door was busy all morning.

There was live music and also free pints of Murphy’s to greet the passengers.

Among those making the trip home to spend Christmas in Cork was Lonnóg Nic Fhlannchadha, from Douglas, who was back from Sydney, in Australia, with her boyfriend, Ryan Murphy, from Glanmire.

Ms Nic Fhlannchadha told The Echo of her excitement to be home for Christmas and said she is looking forward to spending quality time with her family.

“We booked these flights last February,” Ms Nic Fhlannchadha said. “We have been counting down the days since to be home for Christmas. It is so nice to come back anyway, but to be home for Christmas, it is such a lovely time to be with family.

“We did Bondi Beach in Sydney last year for Christmas with Ryan’s parents. It is very iconic, but having a barbeque on Christmas Day just doesn’t hit the same as the roast.

“The last few Christmases we have been over there, and we made the most of it. But being home for Christmas this year, just nothing beats it. “

Ms Nic Fhlannchadha listed what she is looking forward to the most about being back in Cork for Christmas: “We want the Tanora, we want the Kimberleys, the Clonakilty sausages and black puddings, and everything in between. All of the stuff that we cannot get over in Australia.

“I have a bit of an itinerary slotting everyone in, catching up with family and friends. But we will be getting into the usual spots, with lots of drinks, and we’re going to head to Killarney for a night.”

It has only been a week since the awful mass shooting at Bondi Beach in Sydney and Ms Nic Fhlannchadha added that although this is a difficult time, the strong community spirit there will shine through.

Ms Nic Fhlannchadha said: “Our experience of Sydney is that it is one of the safest places in the world. I feel that walking around Bondi and Bondi Junction. So, this was just really out of character for the place.”

Passengers from a number of countries arrived in Cork from connection hubs such as Amsterdam and London.

But no matter where people flew in from, the consensus was that Christmas in Cork is very hard to beat.

Ballincollig-based Margaret Larkin Finnerty greeted her son, Sean, who was back from Curaçao, an island close to Venezuela in South America.

Margaret said she was delighted to have her son back on Leeside for Christmas.

“It is absolutely brilliant having them home, whenever they can come. I am really looking forward to Christmas.

“We will enjoy Christmas now and we will have a few days with him, before his wife, Gabriella, flies into Dublin on Monday. So, we will have him to ourselves for a few days.

“Then, when Gabriella arrives, we will all get together in my daughter’s house out in Dripsey.

“I am just sorry my other son, Brian, can’t come from Perth, in Australia, because he is coming in March for a wedding.”

Margaret added: “Cork Airport is fantastic with the music. But you can see it from the excitement of people. I think Irish people know how to celebrate Christmas.”

Another passenger happy to be home for Christmas was Michael Hickey, from Clonmel, who landed on Leeside after making the journey from Kuala Lumpur, in Malaysia.

“I am very excited to be home for Christmas,” Michael said. “You can’t beat it. I have been in South East Asia for about 15 or 16 years now.

“I was tracking the Cork Airport Facebook page during the week, and you could see all the kids doing the Christmas choirs. You can get that Christmas feeling coming in here to Cork Airport, with the decorations and everything.”

Mr Hickey added: “You can’t beat an Irish Christmas with the family. There is nothing like it.”

But many other passengers at Cork Airport at this time of the year are travelling in the opposite direction, either heading home or spending the festive season with family overseas.

One of those was Finn McCarthy, from Tracton, who is spending the holidays in Reading, in England.

“I am excited to go over to see our family in England for Christmas,” Finn said.

“We have been over a few times and we tend to go over every second Christmas. But it is nice to go over and see them.

“I can’t wait for Christmas. It is a good time of the year.”

He added: “It is exciting and there is a nice vibe around Cork Airport. It is nice to see everyone going out and going to see their families at Christmas.”

The next few weeks will be busy at Cork Airport. An estimated 164,000 passengers will fly to and from Cork Airport between December 18 and January 6.

Niall MacCarthy, managing director at Cork Airport, said: “There is nothing like an airport at Christmas and, as airport welcomes go, nothing like a Cork Airport welcome.

“We’ve seen them home and will see more home over the next week. Then, we’ll see the waves and farewells from St Stephen’s Day through New Year’s Day. That’s the tide of an airport and we take great pride in the friendly service we deliver at Cork Airport every season, but particularly at Christmas.”

Meanwhile, before this reporter made his way home, a spokesperson confirmed that the airport has received notification that Santa Claus’s flight plan has been filed and he is expected to arrive on schedule on Christmas Eve, potentially even earlier, with favourable winds and weather conditions.