In May 1986, a new airport opened in Knock in the west of Ireland. It was the dream of an Irish priest, Monsignor James Horan, who raised millions to have it built.

The location for the airport seemed impossible – set in the boggy, foggy hills of rural County Mayo.

However, Knock attracts more than a million pilgrims every year, who come to visit the supposed site of an apparition by the Virgin Mary and other saints.

So, Horan convinced politicians that this remote western landscape could host a gateway to the world, and service the pilgrims who come to visit the shrine of Knock.

Pearce Concannon was working at the local Knock Shrine when the airport opened and remembers when Horan asked him to quit his job and become a firefighter at his new airport. He speaks to Colm Flynn.

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(Photo: Monsignor James Horan in front of the first plane to arrive at the airport. Credit: Ireland West Airport)

The Irish priest who built an airport

Witness History

The Irish priest who built an airport