Bray Air Display, Ireland

Bray Air Display

The annual event, took place this year over two days
Saturday and Sunday July 23-24, 2016
Pat Keenan went along to the Co. Wicklow seaside resort
on Sunday and took these photos from the promenade.
Breithling wingwalkers, the world's only wingwaking aerobatic team, entertain the crowds at Bray

By DART we arrived in Bray, mostly Co.Wicklow (its northern suburbs spill into Co.Dublin) on a historic railway track that was once the Dublin and Kingstown Railway, built between 1834 and 1854, it was the railway line that made Bray the largest seaside resort in Ireland. It had all the ambience and appearance of just about any British/Victorian resort, the long seafront promenade, overlooked by hotels, residential terraces, tea houses and scones and jam, carnivals, amusement arcades and candy floss. Even after Ireland's independence it drew thousands of British tourists, particularly from the 1950s to the early 1960s, those escaping post World War 2 austerity and rationing. Like most of its counterpart seaside resorts in Britain it fell into decline during the sixties when people in both countries began to discover sunnier attractions in the Spanish Costas.

Bray returned to the glory days again this July when, over two days, 140,000 thronged the promenade to visit the annual Bray Air Display. Children excitedly pulled parents toward Bray's Seafront Fun Fair stretching as far as the eye could see along the mile long promenade, a collection of carnival merry go rounds and gravity defying swings, rides, food stalls, trowing ring games to win huge fluffy toys - all the fun of the fair.

The Red Arrows roar over Bray: the display begins

With a thunderous fly past, nine Hawk T1As of the Royal Air Force Red Arrows aerobatic team began the show in earnest.

Off shore a lifeboat is aided by the Irish Coastguard Sikorsky S-92 rescue helicopter demonstrated its ability to winch survivors to safety.

The Trig Aerobatic team fly two Curtiss Pitts biplanes from 1944

Celtic jet team: Fouga Magisters from Brittany, France

Arrival of Aer Lingus Airbus A321, the largest of the A320 family

Breithling wingwalkers, the world's only wingwaking aerobatic team

CityJet's new Sukhoi Suprtjet SSJ100

Historic formation: De Havilland DH84 Dragon, the type used in 1936 for Aer Lingus inaugural service to Bristol and three Irish Air Corps De Havilland Chipmunks