On Thursday, 9 July 2026, Deputy Paul Murphy proposed The Defence (Amendment) (No.2) Bill 2026 in the Dáil. The bill aims to prohibit US military or civilian aircrafts carrying munitions of war from landing in the State to refuel. The Bill makes particular reference to the US military’s use of Shannon Airport, which the People Before Profit TD described in the Dáil as a “de facto military base”.
“Since 2001, when the US use of Shannon Airport escalated, the US has engaged in three full-scale wars, bombed at least ten countries, directly killed close to a million people, and injured and indirectly killed many millions more,” said Murphy, explaining the reasoning behind the bill.
Since its opening in 1945, Shannon Airport has served as a frequent transatlantic refuelling stop for US military and diplomatic flights, with its strategic location making it a key transit point. Following the 9/11 attacks, the Irish Government granted the US continued access to Shannon for landing and refuelling, facilitating the transit of troops to Afghanistan and Iraq. In 2003, the Dáil voted to continue the policy of granting overflight and landing rights to US military and civilian aircraft.
While civil and military aircraft intending to carry munitions of war or weapons through or into Irish territory must obtain a special exemption from the Irish Government to land or enter Irish airspace, only 0.1% of applications from US civilian aircraft were refused between 2022 and 2024 due to the “nature of the total munitions of war proposed to be carried”, according to the Department of Transport. Moreover, aircraft landing at Shannon Airport are not routinely searched or inspected by Irish authorities.
The scale of this military presence has also drawn international scrutiny. In a United Nations report published in October 2025, Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territory, listed Ireland among the countries that permitted weapons transfers through ports and airports, indicating “an intent to facilitate Israeli crimes”.
Shannonwatch, an organisation committed to monitoring the foreign military use of Shannon Airport, recorded close to three million US troops passing through the airport since 2002. Between 2022 and 2024, almost 2,000 US military and civilian flights carrying munitions of war stopped in Ireland, while a total of 978 US military flights landed at Irish airports, the majority of which landed at Shannon. Since 2024, at least 45 military or military-contracted civilian flights travelling to or from Israel have also landed at Shannon Airport.
Murphy further referred to the US military’s use of Shannon as a “long-running breach of our neutrality that must be ended”, and has accused the Government of having “no intention of stopping this” as they play a part in “facilitating the US war machine by feigning ignorance about what the US is doing”. The government has defended its position, with Fianna Fáil senator Lorraine Clifford Lee stating in the Dáil that “Ireland has a well-established procedure in place for the diplomatic clearance of the overflight and landing of state aircraft”, and that “these requirements are well understood by all parties and our partners, including the United States”.
In August 2024, the Irish investigative website The Ditch reported that Israeli-Belgian airline Challenge Airlines had illegally transported ammunition and military explosives bound for Israel through Irish airspace. The report was based on documents obtained through Freedom of Information requests by Belgian NGO Vredesactie. Following this report, the Department of Transport launched an investigation which found that nine unauthorised flights had carried munitions through Irish airspace destined for Israel since October 2023. Since then, a legal challenge has been lodged at the High Court seeking declarations that the Minister for Transport failed to adequately investigate allegations that Irish airspace was used for the transport of weapons. The Department of Transport has maintained that it is continuing to examine reports of alleged nonexempted flights.
Further concerns over the monitoring and enforcement of Ireland’s restrictions on military aircraft have continued to emerge. An Irish Times investigation in April 2026 revealed that 248 US military aircraft flying over Ireland, including military transport aircraft, troop carriers and surveillance aircraft, had gone unreported. The Department of Foreign Affairs described the failure to report as an “administrative error”, and a spokesperson said that the error had been corrected after it was brought to their attention.
Concerns over breaches of Irish neutrality by critics such as Murphy have been addressed by the Irish government, with Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Simon Harris saying that “Ireland’s policy of military neutrality means that Ireland does not participate in military alliances or common or mutual defence arrangements”, and that “there are no plans to alter this policy.”
Interestingly, Switzerland, which like Ireland, has a long tradition of neutrality, has closed its airspace to US military flights in response to the war in Iran, citing its neutrality in armed conflicts. Critics maintain that despite being similarly militarily non-aligned, Ireland has refrained from setting clear restrictions on the use of its territory or airspace. According to Sinn Féin spokesperson on Foreign Affairs Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: “Neutrality must mean something real. If other neutral states can ensure their territory and airspace are not used to support military operations connected to armed conflicts, then Ireland can and should do the same.”
Opposition to the use of Shannon Airport for transporting munitions by the US military has been ongoing, with protesters regularly demonstrating at the airport and calling on the Irish Government to inspect US military and military-contracted aircraft for weapons destined for Israel. As polls demonstrate, the vast majority of Irish people share a strong pro-Palestinian stance, with a 2024 Amnesty International poll conveying that 71% of Irish people believe that Palestinian people live under a system of apartheid under Israel.
Yet, despite widespread debate over whether Shannon Airport’s use for US munitions transport is compatible with Irish neutrality, meaningful policy change appears unlikely. An earlier Bill proposed by the Social Democrats which aimed to introduce greater powers in inspecting commercial operators landing in Shannon Airport failed after it was effectively blocked by the government, citing issues with implementation and enforcement. Minister of State at the Department of Transport Seán Canney described the powers proposed by the bill as too “onerous” on the state. While Murphy’s Bill is currently waiting for its second reading at the Dáil, it is unlikely to pass given the Government’s majority in the Dáil.
Aoife Ruppin-Giltenane – Foreign Correspondent