Forty-five years ago, British rock n’ roll took over American pop music, U.S. forces were in Vietnam, kaleidoscopic bell bottom pants were the rage and air travel clubs sprouted throughout the U.S. as Americans sought out inexpensive travel abroad. In 1964, Shillelagh Air Travel Club, the first air travel club in the nation, was born.

Today, rap reigns, U.S. tourists visit Vietnam, bell bottoms disappeared and almost all of the hundreds of air travel clubs died out as deregulation hit the airline industry. Vienna-based Shillelagh Travel Club, however, not only survived but thrives today. It morphed into a travel and social club whose 2,000 members share the passion of travel. Today, Shillelagh runs tours in North America and internationally using commercial travel on planes, trains, ships and motor coaches.

“When you travel with Shillelagh, you travel with friends,” said Carolyn McKenna, Shillelagh executive director. She means it, too. McKenna was a devoted Shillelagh member before taking over the helm. She met her husband there, as well, and the two of them escort groups throughout the year.

That’s one of Shillelagh’s attributes: member escorts from Vienna to tour destination. And that’s beyond the escorts and guides the travel wholesalers provide to the participants.

When queried about Shillelagh, members remark on the friendships they have forged and the friendliness of their fellow Shillelaghs.

Kay Murphy of Vienna has made the trip to Ireland with Shillelagh six times and has taken more than 150 long trips with the club. The best part of being a Shillelagh, Murphy said, is that “you always have friends.”

“It’s more than just traveling with them. You see them socially, as well. Older people would be alone a lot more if not for Shillelagh.

Bob Seymore of Oakton is a newbie by Shillelagh standards, a member for three years. Seymore, who has taken more than 30 trips with Shillelagh, likes everything about the club. He has four trips booked, so far, for early 2010.

“The best part is the people. They’re very friendly and are willing to accept new places and things and new friends,” Pamela Mann said.

Barney and Nancy Lee Jennings joined Shillelagh two years after the club formed. Jennings, a retired circuit court judge and small-craft pilot, knew Shillelagh pilot Bob Hurt well. The Jennings logged more than 50 trips, together and individually. In mid-October, the couple took part in the Ireland trip escorted by Carolyn and John McKenna.

For Nancy Lee, the best part of Shillelagh travel is the personal attention, by escorts and tour guides, particularly when problems arise.

Barney Jennings noted the friendliness, the interest in travel and each other that everybody seems to have and the camaraderie.

For some, Shillelagh has been support while coping with the loss of a spouse. Such was the situation with Wanda O’Dell McGuiness of McLean. She and her husband had traveled together with Shillelagh, and after his death, at St. Peter’s Cathedral in the Vatican, McGuinness lit a candle for her husband. “We were going to go there together, “ she said.



LONG-TIME MEMBERS enjoy recalling and sharing their memories Murphy, a Shillelagh member since 1971, remembered an early cruise to Europe.

“The cruise ship docked in Marseilles, and I got lost,” Murphy. “I wanted to go to Arles and took off by myself by bus. It was a lovely tour of Arles and there were two separate hills to get back to the bus. I took the wrong hill and couldn’t find the bus. I thought, ‘They’re gonna leave without me.’ But, I found my way back to the bus in-time.” She laughs about that event now.

Seymore said his favorite trip is going to Savannah for St. Patrick’s Day. He’s got it booked already for 2010. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world. In Savannah, they treat the Irish like kings and queens of the world.”

Pamela Mann’s first trip with Shillelagh was to the San Antonio flower festival, and the following year, she traveled to Ireland with the McKennas. In the five years that Mann of Reston has been with the club, she has taken, at least, 10 trips. A cruise out of Baltimore to Bermuda was described by Mann as the “perfect storm.”

“You couldn’t walk out on the deck. … They almost ran out of food. We got back to Baltimore a day late. I thought it was fun.”

Friendships and camaraderie are essential elements of the Shillelagh lifestyle continue with the club’s traditional pre-trip get-together parties. An opportunity for tour participants to get to know one another prior to travel and to get last-minute questions answered, the tour’s escort plans the party.

Twenty seven members left for the October McKenna-escorted Ireland trip. The weekend prior to departure, the McKennas opened their Reston home to the participants, offering up a buffet set to traditional Irish music and serving Irish coffee made with authentic Irish whiskey.

Last St. Patrick’s Day, Vinny and Brenda Donnelly of Herndon joined Shillelagh. They walked into the March open house, and said, “Wow.” The club was recommended by relatives. Vinny Donnelly said the couple likes to do escorted trips. “I love them when they’re done right, and I’ve heard nothing but good things about Shillelagh.”

Now, they sat in the McKennas’ home, preparing for their Ireland tour, listening to the McKennas and meeting other tour members.

Carolyn McKenna detailed the tour, from the moment the reserved shuttle picked up passengers and their luggage from the Vienna office, to the hotels reserved and Irish culture. She answered questions, but for the many repeat travelers, the pre-trip party was more an opportunity to socialize.

“When you go to Ireland, you want a fun group,” Carolyn McKenna said. “You want to socialize, get to know one another, learn about the culture.

“That’s what Shillelagh is all about.”



UNTIL 1986, when fares began responding to market demand, Shillelagh aircraft flew out of Dulles. On the plane’s tail was the image of a bright green shamrock, a nod to the Ireland tours popular since the club’s inception.

Capt. Bob Hurt flew the early Shillelagh aircraft, piloting its first flight on July 16, 1965. Now 88, Hurt retired to Maryland and authored a book about his career as a navy flier and with Shillelagh. At the 45th anniversary luncheon at Westwood Country Club on Oct. 22, Hurt was the guest of honor. He was dressed in the bright green Shillelagh uniform he wore when he flew Shillelagh’s L188 all over the country and the world. Seven of the club’s flight attendants were at the anniversary program, and they, too, were honored.

It was Hurt, in January1986, who flew the Shillelagh aircraft on its final flight in the history of the club, a “ferry” from Dulles to Miami International Airport where the aircraft changed hands. That sale marked the end of one Shillelagh era but started a new one.

For 10 years, Shillelagh had its office at Tysons Corner, and 8 1/2 years ago, the club moved its offices to Vienna at the corner of Maple Avenue and East Street. Besides Carolyn McKenna, travel consultant Trevor Major and bookkeeper Mary Youman are the club’s only other paid employees.

It is Carolyn McKenna who, primarily, decides what trips, from day to international, are going to be offered each year and it is she who works with the wholesalers.

Every quarter, Shillelagh tour escorts host open house parties at the local office. The parties are frequently themed, from the St. Paddy’s Day bash to Christmastime, and prospective members are welcome to learn more about Shillelagh and to make friends.

Betty Lynch of Vienna joined Shillelagh in 1985. Now a tour escort, Lynch has made close to 200 trips, overseas, cruises and bus tours, she said. Lynch echoed her fellow Shillelaghs when she talks about the things that make the club special.

“All the friends I’ve made, that’s the best part,” she said. “It’s been just wonderful.”



TO LEARN MORE about the Shillelagh Travel Club, go to http://www.shillelaghtravelclub.com/ or call 703-242-2204. The club’s toll-free number is 800-556-8646. E-mail Info@ShillelaghTravelClub.com to be contacted.