Mark Carney, who has held Irish citizenship for roughly three decades, will retain his seat as Prime Minister of Canada following the country's federal elections yesterday, Monday, April 28.
Carney became Prime Minister of Canada in March following the resignation of his party colleague Justin Trudeau. Carney went on to win the Liberal Party's leadership contest and, in turn, became Prime Minister of Canada.
According to CBC News' election tracker, Carney handily retained his seat in Nepean in Ontario, winning nearly 64% of the vote in yesterday's federal elections.
However, it is not yet clear if Carney's Liberal Party will win a majority of seats in Canada's Parliament - 172 seats are needed for a majority.
According to CBC News' tracker at the time of publication, Carney's Liberal Party had won 155 seats and was leading for an additional 13 seats.
On Tuesday, Ireland's Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Tánaiste Simon Harris extended their congratulations to Carney.
Mark Carney's Irish roots
Carney, who was born and raised in Canada, holds citizenship in Canada, Ireland, and the UK, but said in March that he has begun the process of renouncing his Irish and British citizenship.
Mayo News reported in March that Carney's grandfather, Robert, and grandmother, Norah Moran, were from Aille, near Aghagower and just outside of Westport in Co Mayo.
It's believed that Robert left for Canada and later "sent for" Nora, who was from Mace, Aghagower. Robert joined the Mounties and returned to Ireland just once.
Today, the Prime Minister of Canada is a first cousin of Pat Carney, father of Tom Carney, who operates Carney’s Quarry in Aughagower.
Mark Carney has never visited Aghagower, though his father did, albeit some four decades ago.
However, that could be set to change. Mayo News reported in March after Carney won the leadership contest: "Plans are now afoot to issue a formal invitation through the Canadian Embassy in Ireland for the new Prime Minister to visit the village."
In 2018, the Irish Independent reported that Carney comes from "a staunchly Irish-Canadian background," adding that Carney "counts the late Irish attorney general and WTO director general Peter Sutherland as an important early mentor."
Later, in a 2021 profile, the Irish Times reported that Carney is "acutely conscious of his Irish roots."
The Irish Times noted: "The only change he made to the grandiose office granted to the boss of the Bank of England was to put an old map of Mayo on the wall."
Carney obtained Irish citizenship in the late 1980s, a process that revealed a great-grandparent that could “only put his mark on baptismal documents.”
“That Irish heritage is a big part of who I am,” Carney told The Irish Times.
However, CBC News in Canada reported on March 1 that Carney told reporters he believes that, as Prime Minister, he should hold only one citizenship.
"I have already initiated the process to renounce my citizenships in both the United Kingdom and Ireland," he said.
Carney told reporters there are "several members of the House of Commons who have several passports," and there have been leaders of other federal political parties, like the Conservatives, who hold multiple citizenship.
"I'm not judging those other people," Carney said. "I'm saying as Prime Minister, I should only hold one citizenship."
More recently, Ray Bassett, Ireland's former Ambassador to Canada, reflected on Carney's important role in Ireland's banking crisis.
According to Bassett, Carney said that his family had left Ireland soon after the founding of the Irish Free State.
"Two of his grandparents were from Mayo and a third from Cavan," Bassett wrote.
"I joked with him that he got his banking and business acumen from the Cavan side.
"He had worked in London for a number of years, using his Irish passport."
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