Bromore, meaning “the big gathering place”, in reference to a promontory fort on the cliff-top, is located on the picturesque north-west tip of the County Kerry.
The sheer 180-foot cliffs, along with sea stack and an array of wildlife, from seals to seabirds, and wildflowers make it somewhat of a hidden gem on the Wild Atlantic Way.
In 1939 as World War II broke out, a look-out post was built within the Promontory Fort and was manned for the duration of the war.
On 23 September 1962, the fateful Flight 923 was flying from Canada to Frankfurt, Germany, with 76 passengers and crew on board.
However, after flying into a severe hail-storm and heavy winds, the plane experienced engine failure and the pilot was forced to ditch the plane while heading for an emergency landing in Shannon Airport, crashing into the Atlantic Ocean off the Irish coast.
The crew deployed life rafts, but only one was within reach of the passengers due to the strong swells. The raft managed to stay afloat with 51 survivors inside for 6 hours.
HMCS Bonaventure, a Canadian aircraft carrier, reached the crash scene, before using its helicopters to carry supplies and personnel to the S.S. Celerina, a Swiss freighter who had taken the survivors on board.
The Bonaventure took twelve recovered bodies and the four most seriously injured survivors on board and headed for the Shannon estuary, in the vicinity of the Bromore Cliffs.
It was from here that the survivors and the bodies were flown to Shannon Airport. A memorial plaque dedicated to the victims, survivors, and rescuers can now be seen at Bromore Cliffs.
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