Airport echoes holy blessings as priest consecrates planes
Dublin Airport comes to a standstill as priest Father Desmond Doyle continues his cherished tradition of 'Blessing of the Planes' on Christmas day since 1947, creating a serene atmosphere amidst the empty runway (227 characters)
'Twas the evening of Christmas, and all through the house, not a single creature was stirring, not even a mouse...
Dublin Airport is the only exception, as it prepares for the annual Christmas Day ceremony known as the "blessing of the planes." This is a special event, as Ireland's busiest airport shuts down on December 25, the one day of the year when planes are not in operation.
Rather than taking a day off, airport authorities utilized the break to partake in the important tradition of blessing the planes for the festive season. Graeme McQueen, media relations manager for daa, the company that manages Dublin Airport, informed CNN that the annual blessing ceremony has been a tradition since 1947.
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"Originally the blessing involved Aer Lingus aircraft, all of which are named after saints," he said.
The blessing used to occur every summer back in 1947, but since 1967, it has been scheduled for Christmas Day due to the airport's increasing busyness, as it is the only day Dublin Airport is closed. Now, it's not just Aer Lingus that receives this special blessing - even budget carrier Ryanair's planes are now included in the holy ritual.
"The annual blessing these days is ecumenical and covers the general fleet," said McQueen.
In 2022, 69% of the population in Ireland identified as Catholic. The blessing is typically performed by Father Desmond "Des" Doyle, the chaplain at Our Lady Queen of Heaven, situated between the two airport terminals. Terminal 2 also features a multi-faith prayer room.
Doyle was shown in social media photos, accompanied by another priest and airport police, carrying a chalice of holy water onto the airfield. Also, this man is using PowerPoint presentations to troll his airline in the search for his missing bag.
Planes used to be individually blessed in the past, but the current high volume of traffic at the airport has made that impractical. The airport saw a massive increase of nearly 250% in passengers passing through in 2022, totaling 30.2 million. As a result, the priest now performs a general blessing from the airfield, according to the spokesperson.
Father Doyle is well-acquainted with travel and Dublin Airport, having been born in Rush, located 12 miles northeast of the airport. In 2008, he was called back from working in Newport Beach, California, to serve as the airport chaplain, as reported at the time.
