One of the most important contributions to Irish aviation made by the late Dr Tim O'Driscoll and for which he was proudest was the procedure which led to the introduction of the world's first customs free airport at Shannon, 51 years ago. This in turn led to the Duty and Tax free shopping concept which has since been copied at airports around the world.
The idea he based on the customs free sea ports, such as Danzig on the Baltic coast. At the time Tim O'Driscoll was officer-in-charge of the Aviation Branch of the Department of Industry and Commerce. This was a position to which he was appointed as a young civil servant in 1936 when he was responsible for the preparation of the first Air Navigation and Transport Act. It was this act which led to the establishment of Aer Lingus in April of that year and he was the last survivor of the five passengers who were on the first Aer Lingus commercial flight a month later. As officer-in-charge, he had the responsibility that year also of setting up the administration and technical facilities for the transatlantic seaplane base at Foynes.
Dr O'Driscoll once explained to me the unusual circumstances which led to two of the most important factors in the further development of Irish aviation history. In 1944 Ireland as a neutral nation in the war was more than pleased to receive an invitation to attend the International Aviation World Conference in Chicago. At a meeting called to consider the invitation, the Secretary of the Department of Industry and Commerce, Mr John Leyden, asked if there was any particular development on the Shannon project that might make an impact in Chicago. "I was happy to be able to say" Tim O'Driscoll recalled, "that I had a study underway at the time on establishing Shannon as a customs-free airport."
The meeting was overjoyed with this news and the Revenue Commissioners agreed in principle. At Chicago the project was entirely new and had a great impact on the delegates from 54 nations attending the ICAO conference. It was responsible for bringing the Irish delegation into the forefront of international aviation planning and later Mr O'Driscoll was elected a member of the Permanent Council.
One of the important matters being discussed at that meeting was the question of bilateral agreements between nations. Ireland was particularly anxious to protect the landing rights at Shannon and here Mr O'Driscoll played another pivotal role for which he was equally proud.
As he was returning to his hotel in Chicago in the early hours of the morning from what he described as "a convivial party", he met a senior member of the American delegation who had obviously been to some other convivial place. The Irishman asked the American back to his hotel for a nightcap. After some time the American diplomat admitted that they were having difficulties at the conference. He asked: "Will you bastards negotiate a bilateral agreement with us, for we are getting nowhere with the French and the British?"
Over breakfast that morning the other members of the Irish delegation, Mr Joe Walsh, Secretary of the Department of External Affairs, and John Leyden, were jubilant at the prospects of linking up with the Americans. The nocturnal discussions were followed up and the bones of the first bilateral agreement involving Ireland was worked out.
As it emerged, the most difficult issue was the eventual acceptance by the US delegation of what became known as "the compulsory stopover" at Shannon. However, with a "friend in court" the future role for Shannon on the transatlantic route was secured for many years.
Tim O'Driscoll served in a senior position with four government departments. In 1946, when he was seconded from the Department of Industry and Commerce to take up residents in Montreal, as the Irish representative at the headquarters of ICAO, the minister made him a special award "as some financial recognition for the arduous and responsible work which you had to undertake in connection with civil aviation matters over the past few years".
In 1972 he became the first Irishman to be admitted to the ASTA (American Society of Travel Agents) Hall of Fame. His companions of honour on that occasion were Juan Trippe, founder and president of Pan Am, and Conrad Hilton, the hotelier. Three years ago the Irish government presented him with the ICAO's 50th anniversary medal of honour. He will be remembered as one of Ireland's outstanding public servants
A.Q.