"It is 40 years since one parish priest in the west of Ireland saw his dreams come true. It wasn't a visit of the Pope, which had already happened years before, but the construction of an airport - Knock Airport. Inspired by what a transport hub of its size could do for his beloved Mayo and the whole of the west of Ireland, Monsignor James Horan led a one-man charge to connect Connacht to the world."
"So, what obstacles did Monsignor Horan face along the way? How did this Mayo man make his dream a reality and connect the west of Ireland to the wider world? We look at what happened to the man who made it all happen 40 years on from that first flight landing in Knock from Dublin - and how his incredible story become the subject of a book and even a musical."
Monsignor James Horan led a determined campaign to build Knock Airport in County Mayo, believing a transport hub could transform the west of Ireland. Local conversations about an airstrip dated back to the 1930s, but Horan overcame political, logistical, and community obstacles to realize construction. The first flight from Dublin landed forty years ago, marking Connacht's direct connection to national and international networks and boosting visitor access. The airport's creation significantly affected regional development, travel, and economy. The narrative of the airport and its founder inspired a book and a musical that chronicle the decades since the airport's birth.
Read at Irish Independent
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