One month after restrictions were eased, it is not just air passengers who have been enjoying the resumption of non-essential international travel.
Plane spotters have returned to the ''mound" at the perimeter fence of Dublin Airport to watch the planes land.
It is a familiar perch for Dublin teenager Kevin O’Meara.
The 17-year-old has been spotting planes here since he was ten.
However, he found it tough when the pandemic grounded flights all around the world.
"I live an hour away from the airport, but I would come here every 3-4 days, or once at weekends," he said.
"It’s been very hard not being able to plane spot, but I still had that interest at home. I used to look at planes online and it piqued my interest. Every day, I just looked forward to coming back."
Another teen who is glad to be back on the "mound" is 16-year-old Jamie Moore.
"I missed coming here. When I did come, it was like a ghost town. You wouldn’t see any planes, just one or two flights in an hour. It was difficult trying to get photos but it’s great to be back. With all the international flights, we get to see different types of planes," Jamie explained.
Today, around 20 cars have parked up in the lay-by on the Old Airport Road.
Spotters like Ian Thomas explain how it's a useful activity for family bonding.
He said: "Our son is on the autism spectrum, and he enjoys watching them. So, if he’s happy, we’re happy. He really enjoys seeing the planes. It enables him to think about things like people going on their holidays, or if it is freight, where it’s going or what’s on the plane."
Meanwhile, Jamie and Kevin do not just want to spot aircraft.
They have already flown small Cessna planes and their ultimate dream is to become pilots.
Kevin said: "It’s a great career to get into and the fact that I want to do that makes my parents really happy. They really do want to see me keep that interest and pursue my dream."
