On a Wing and a Prayer

BACK in the 1970s Monsignor James Horan, the inimitable parish priest of Knock, Co. Mayo, was a man with a vision. While stationed at his then still remote rural parish he campaigned tirelessly to bring an airport to his tiny town.

The airport that he eventually built, though, was anything but small time in 1986 it was christened Horan International Airport, but in 2007 it's now officially referred to everywhere as Ireland West Airport, Knock. And at last, Horan's vision for the airport is complete.

There are several airports that offer gateways to the U.S. from Ireland, but none are situated in such a ravishingly beautiful spot as Ireland West Airport. On arrival you'll see acres of the fabled green fields, but you'll also see the sun glinting on the Atlantic Ocean and you'll see the dry stone walls that have marked the farmlands here for centuries, too. It's an unbeatable setting and it's about as perfect an introduction to the real Ireland as you will ever find.

Speaking at the ceremony to launch the inaugural flight to Ireland at Kennedy Airport in New York last Sunday, marketing and communications manager for Ireland West Airport Annette Kearney told the Irish Voice, "We've worked very hard for many years to see this day arrive. And I could not be happier about the way it's turned out. The new flight service between JFK and Ireland West Airport was only announced four months ago and by the first week of operation they were 90% full going out to the USA and 70% full coming in to Ireland, and 35,000 passengers have already booked their flights for the summer!"

U.S. Ambassador to Ireland Thomas Foley arrived for the launch ceremony at JFK expressed his delight at having been asked to participate. "The achievements we are celebrating today are threefold - first we have peace in the North, second we have the new Open Skies agreement which will make air travel to and from Ireland so much more affordable, and third with this new airport destination I'm certain tourism to the region will increase dramatically from now on. It's really a pleasure to be associated with it."

Foley was a passenger on board the inaugural flight to Ireland West and participated in the departure and welcome ceremonies at both airports.

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Nster.com