Shannon International Airport

Bunratty attracts large numbers of tourists, being only 7mi/11km from Shannon International Airport. The airport, the most westerly in Europe, was opened in 1945, with the world's first duty-free shop. Since it lost its importance as a port of call for transatlantic flights, a development company, Shannon Free Airport Development Ltd. has established a variety of industries here (precision tools, electronic apparatus, industrial diamonds, etc.). The town of Shannon has a population of 7,000.