The world and its mother were in Mayo in 2023

There is an old, and often used, adage that states that ‘the world and its mother were there’, and they definitely were in Mayo in 2023 with the most prominent of all coming via the ‘Airport down at Knock’ that Christy Moore once wrote a song about.

But as the late Monsignor James Horan drove his car (maybe a Ford Granada or Cortina) along the unfinished runway at Knock Airport on a dark afternoon in early 1985 could he ever have envisioned an American president’s plane landing on that tarmac years later?

Having gone to Knock to interview the Monsignor that day, and to paraphrase something he said, after we had tea and scones in the parochial house, his words were that we should take a drive along the “unfinished runway” on the Knock Airport site.

The Monsignor said we would drive the full length of the runway because he wanted to explain that it was going to be long enough to accommodate the landing of “the biggest trans-Atlantic airlines in the world at that time.

Most likely he knew that while Galway had an airport its runway wasn’t long enough to do so. Both Shannon and Dublin were also too far away to be of much use to Mayo and other North-Western emigrants going back and forth to England. His words about the latter situation were that when people from places such as Belmullet arrived in Dublin from the UK they still had “as long more of a journey to make” before they were home. But Dublin emigrants were home on arrival there by plane or boat and his philosophy was why should the West Coast people not have the same direct fast facilities when coming home or going away?

The regular American flights may not have happened (yet!) apart from a few charter flights, but he made the dream come true for the Westerners regarding UK and European flights. However, one wonders could the wily Monsignor ever have imagined, that day while driving along the bumpy unfinished runway that Air Force One carrying a US President would fly in and out of there one day.

It happened in 2023, a year that an outsider could quote the old adage that ‘the world and its mother’ were in Mayo. President Joe Biden and Prince Albert of Monaco were just two luminaries who came to visit their ancestral homes in Mayo. 

Hundreds of thousands of others came to Mayo too, in cars with caravans, in camper vans to enjoy the scenery of places such as Achill and many other areas. Others may be on bicycles cycling along the Mayo Greenway or on shank’s mare walking on its hills and mountains. The memory of the iconic charity climbs by broadcaster Charlie Bird and other famous faces such as Daniel O’Donnell, Ryan Tubridy, Barry McGuigan, Matt Molloy, Dermot Bannon and others the previous April probably influenced others to do likewise in 2023. Of course, St Patrick’s initial trek to the top of the holy hill was the original catalyst for centuries of mountain climbing on The Reek!

The memories of all those famous faces coming to Mayo probably make many people in other counties in Ireland full of admiration, and maybe even a tad envious, of what Mayo has that makes it tick with its diaspora, long lost cousins and outsiders from around the world.

Once upon a time, albeit briefly, in 1798, Mayo was the capital of the Republic of Ireland as part of the Republic of France. But Ballina was an unofficial capital of the free world for a time last April when the most powerful man in the world, Joe Biden, a scion of the Blewitts of Ballina, moved from Capitol Hill to his ancestral home in North Mayo.

The world’s media moved with him too and imagine what any town would give to have what Ballina had when it hosted the climax of the President of the USA’s visit to Ireland. Over four times its population turned up to give Mr Biden a tumultuous welcome back home to his roots.

Cynics might say that his Irish visit was a public relations exercise to get the Irish-American vote in the next Presidential election but there was no doubting the humility and good humour of Joe from Mayo when he interacted with patients in the Hospice at Castlebar.

In a post that went viral on social media, Biden brushed aside attempts by his security to move him on as he patiently took his time talking to a patient, the late Pat Geraghty from Glenisland.

In the famous exchange, captured forever on film on social media, Joe and Pat converse freely and good-humouredly about former Taoiseach Enda Kenny.

As President Biden, arguably the most powerful man in the world, stretched out his hand to the hospice patient it was just like any two old boys having a chat about someone they both knew for very different reasons.

“My brother was a great friend of Enda Kenny and he used to be canvassing for him,” said Pat as they warmly shook hands.

“You know that Enda Kenny is a great friend of mine, for real,” replied Joe.

“He is, I believe that is for real, and I’ve seen that,” said Pat as a security man moved in and, presumably, whispered in President Biden’s ear to move on.

“I’m letting you know that the entire room can all sit down”, retorted the President partially to the man whispering in his ear.

As he turned back to continue talking to Pat Geraghty the latter said to Joe:

“I played football with Enda Kenny”.

“Did you really,” said Joe.

Pat added: “He knows me awful well, we’re great friends. We came from the same village.” 

“Is that right,” said the President to which Pat responded: “You can tell him that you were talking to me” and the whole room erupted with laughter as Joe responded, “I will, I will”.

Joe Biden went on to tell the whole room about his friendship with Enda Kenny having started long before he became President.

“I was vice-President for eight years before I became President and I’d always have a breakfast on St Patrick’s Day when the Taoiseach would be there and everyone who wanted to be Irish would be there,” he added in an obvious reference to when he first met Enda Kenny.

It was a moment for the ages as the most powerful leader in the free world was having a chat during a totally unhurried and unplanned meeting with a man from Co Mayo where his ancestors came from. They were simply two good ole’ boys havin’ a chat as the Yanks might say or having the craic as the Irish might say!

Maybe this less-viewed video filmed spontaneously as the President walked around the room of the Mayo Hospice was an ideal contrast to the slick and very professional one of him arriving and leaving Knock Airport which will be viewed all over the world for years to come. But both videos have, and will, continue to serve Mayo well.

Maybe that incident wasn’t the most that made media headlines regarding Joe Biden’s visit but it was one of a collage of many that made Mayo the centre of attention for ‘the world and its mother’ last summer.

Perhaps the Biden trip overshadowed the visit earlier last March to Newport of Prince Albert of Monaco, another scion of Mayo. He came for the unveiling of a statue of his mother Princess Grace who was proud of her Kelly ancestors from nearby Drimurla.

Along with his late mother the Prince of Monaco had previously visited the town of the two Graces, his mum Grace Kelly and Grace O’Malley (Grainne Uaile) the legendary Pirate Queen from the 16th century. Both famous women are immortalised in statues in Mayo.

In Cong, the statues of actors John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara from the era of The Quiet Man film still attract thousands of American tourists in particular. So also does The Quiet Man Tours as well as nearby Ashford Castle, of course.

No doubt such landmarks, plus many others, are major tourist attractions all over Mayo. They are helping to encourage overseas visitors to come to places such as Achill with its highest coastal cliff in Ireland or Westport which is now more easily accessible with its new motorway to the town and surrounding areas. It’s also another faster and better link to and from the Monsignor’s Knock (Ireland West) International Airport.

With the current multi-million Euro development of Westport House and surrounding lands, it’s a good bet that ‘the world and its mother’ will be travelling there too in 2024. With all the development planned there, it may become akin to Center Parcs for holiday breaks and day trips for people of all ages. 

But also being restored in tandem with the modern visitor facilities is the historic and architecturally ornate Westport House. It goes back to the time of Colonel John Browne, a loyal supporter of the Catholic King James of England, and a colleague of Patrick Sarsfield during the Battle of Limerick in 1691 and it feels like walking back into history when visiting it.

Maybe too with rumblings in Government, and in Europe, about funding for the reopening of the Western Rail Corridor, firstly via Tuam and Claremorris and later on to Sligo that greater train connectivity will be available in the future from the South to South Mayo also. However, it seems unlikely that any US President would travel by armour-clad train carriage to Mayo like Kim Jong Un from North Korea did when going to meet President Putin in Russia earlier this year.