Come Fly With Me: Aviation, tourism and Irish design

17 July – 17 December 2026│National Print Museum, Dublin│Free Admission

 

Come Fly With Me: Aviation, tourism and Irish design examines Irish cultural history through the exploration of aviation- and tourism-related graphic design. It focuses on the 1940s through to the 1960s, a period that marked the golden era of international aviation expansion.

The exhibition runs at the National Print Museum in Dublin from 17 July to 17 December 2026. Admission is free and all are welcome. Opening hours: Tuesday – Friday (10am-4pm), Saturday & Sunday (12noon-4pm).

Aer Lingus was established in 1936 by Seán Lemass who often said it was his proudest achievement and ‘a real instrument of liberation for this country’. Indeed, the foundation of a national airline a mere fourteen years after independence was hugely ambitious and politically potent, connecting Ireland both physically and ideologically with the rest of Europe.

This exhibition uses flight as a central thread to explore how design and print helped construct national identity, promote Irish modernisation and position Ireland internationally. With the arrival of a number of Dutch graphic designers to Ireland in the 1950s to work on advertising for Aer Lingus, depictions of Ireland and Irishness were forever changed, as was Ireland’s relationship to Continental Europe and the US. Their design work was recognised internationally, had a huge impact on Irish design and economic development, and was commissioned by other Irish companies including Bord Fáilte, John Hinde, RTÉ and Guinness.

Come Fly With Me, sponsored by AviLease with research funded through the Research Ireland New Foundations programme, displays a wide array of tourism ephemera and original sketches, on loan from national cultural institutions, the families of designers, and members of the public who responded to a call for material. Many of these items are being displayed publicly for the first time. The exhibition tells a story of aspiration, imagination, and modernisation through the enduring power of print advertising.

The exhibition’s curator, Dr Linda King, explains that:

Come Fly With Me provides a unique opportunity to expand and enrich Irish history through focusing on the power of advertising. The exhibition demonstrates the ability of print technologies and the creative imagination to almost will an alternative version of society into existence, before political rhetoric caught up. In addition, it demonstrates the valuable contribution of immigration to Irish design and economic development.

Dr Conor Linnie, Programme Manager at Research Ireland, commented:

This project is a fascinating examination into how design and advertising can shape public perception. By reflecting on how emerging technologies and designs of the time shaped how we view Ireland, we can gain a better understanding of how current advancements may influence opinion today. We are delighted to support this thought-provoking exhibition through the Research Ireland New Foundations programme.

For further information, visit: nationalprintmuseum.ie.