It’s a sunny, if somewhat windy Friday morning, and Shaun Dunne is standing atop a large earthen hill on the periphery of Dublin Airport. Trucks and cars loudly whizz by at frightening speeds, but the 17-year-old from north county Dublin pays no heed to them as he gazes towards the sky. Shaun is one of several people on the landmark known as The Mound, an informal viewing area for planespotters overlooking the south runway that has been in situ for the past 40 years.
“There’s been nothing much going on today, no,” says Shaun, a self-styled teenage ‘aviation journalist’. He scans the many planes parked across the fence on the airport apron. “I suppose there’s that Lufthansa over there — see the one with the black tail, beside the American Airlines It has a special livery.” He points in the other direction, at purple FedEx and yellow DHL planes. “They’re just cargo planes over that side. They’re boring.” He perks up, noting a sudden strong gust of wind. “But windy days are good, because it makes arrivals a lot more interesting to watch.”
Shaun has been coming to The Mound since he was a small child with his parents. These days, he makes his own way, taking the bus from his hometown of Lusk, about six miles north of the airport, several times a week. The prospect of the new observation facility on the site — which the Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) submitted a planning application for in June — is exciting, although there has been criticism of its limited car parking. Today, there are approximately 30 cars parked in the lay-by; the DAA’s plans will offer just 22 spaces.
“I’m fully supportive of it, even though there’s a few flaws in the plan — like there’s no pathway planned between here and the bus stop,” says Shaun, as another Ryanair flight soars overhead. “But it’ll be good to have toilet facilities as well, because the nearest ones are in the terminal, or at a petrol station about two kilometres away, so that’s not fun. And the sheltered area will be handy, as well. I’ve had my fair share of soakings. I hope they build it soon.”
: Gerry Mooney
“There’s been nothing much going on today, no,” says Shaun, a self-styled teenage ‘aviation journalist’. He scans the many planes parked across the fence on the airport apron. “I suppose there’s that Lufthansa over there — see the one with the black tail, beside the American Airlines It has a special livery.” He points in the other direction, at purple FedEx and yellow DHL planes. “They’re just cargo planes over that side. They’re boring.” He perks up, noting a sudden strong gust of wind. “But windy days are good, because it makes arrivals a lot more interesting to watch.”
Shaun has been coming to The Mound since he was a small child with his parents. These days, he makes his own way, taking the bus from his hometown of Lusk, about six miles north of the airport, several times a week. The prospect of the new observation facility on the site — which the Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) submitted a planning application for in June — is exciting, although there has been criticism of its limited car parking. Today, there are approximately 30 cars parked in the lay-by; the DAA’s plans will offer just 22 spaces.
“I’m fully supportive of it, even though there’s a few flaws in the plan — like there’s no pathway planned between here and the bus stop,” says Shaun, as another Ryanair flight soars overhead. “But it’ll be good to have toilet facilities as well, because the nearest ones are in the terminal, or at a petrol station about two kilometres away, so that’s not fun. And the sheltered area will be handy, as well. I’ve had my fair share of soakings. I hope they build it soon.”
: Gerry Mooney
