Hopkins Family and the Air Line Business

Xenophile

Hopkins Family and the Air Line Business.

Does anyone have any information on Enda (female, maybe family name Cahill ) and Eric Hopkins who were involved in the early days of the Irish Airline industry.

Is it possible that this family was involved in some way with the setting up of Aer Lingus.

Tenger

Xenophile wrote: »

Hopkins Family and the Air Line Business.

Does anyone have any information on Enda (female, maybe family name Cahill ) and Eric Hopkins who were involved in the early days of the Irish Airline industry.

Is it possible that this family was involved in some way with the setting up of Aer Lingus.

No mention of them to be seen in the Flight of The Iolar, which is a history of EI published in 1986.

smurfjed

Have you looked at the history of IONA?

Xenophile

You have given me a very good lead. Thank you.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iona_National_Airways

EchoIndia

There may have been an Eric Hopkins who flew with Aer Turas but I can't lay my hands on a reference right now.

folbotcar

Enda Cahill was Pearse Cahill's daughter, his Father was Hugh Cahill who set up the original Iona National Airways at Baldonnel before moving to Kildonan aerodrome near Finglas. He was the pioneer in Irish commercial aviation. It only lasted three years 1930-33 but other flying operations continued there until 1938 when it closed after Aer Lingus came along and took away a lot of the business.

Pearse set up the new Iona in 1957 at Dublin airport which ran until 1994. But it was unrelated to the original except for the name.

So yes through the Cahills they were involved in the pioneering of the Irish airline business. But not Aer Lingus directly. That was later and I don’t think there was any involvement from anyone called Hopkins. Eric would be too young anyway. I think he's still around?