Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney set to visit his ancestral home of Mayo
It has been confirmed that Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney will visit Ireland this summer, with expectations that he will stop in his ancestral homeland of County Mayo.
The news has sparked local excitement, along with questions about whether preparations are needed in Mayo to make it ready for its next visit from a world leader.
The announcement was confirmed by the Canadian Ambassador to Ireland, Dennis King, who was in County Mayo over the Easter weekend.
Mr King took on the role of grand marshal in the Easter Parade on Achill Island, and revealed that Prime Minister Carney has accepted an invitation to visit the country.
He added that a stop in the county where the leaders grandparents hailed from would “be prominent” in the trip, which could take place as early as June.
Prime Minister Carney’s grandparents, Robert and Nora Carney, emigrated from Aughagower, a small village near Westport, in 1925.
A century later, in March 2025, their grandson became the Prime Minister of the country they had left home for.
Speaking to TV Ireland, Mr King said the exact dates are yet to be confirmed, but noted that Prime Minister Carney had accepted an invitation extended by Mayo Minister Dara Calleary during his recent visit to Canada for St Patrick’s Day celebrations.
“He has been to Ireland many times but not in his official capacity, so we are really planning and hoping that sometime in June he will be here,
“We hope the Prime Minister will have some time in his calendar to get to see as much of Ireland as I know he wants to - and of course Mayo will have to be prominent somehow in that visit,” he said.
Following confirmation from the Canadian Ambassador that his boss, whom he described as a “proud Mayo man”, had accepted the invitation, councillors in Mayo are now considering the preparations needed to roll out the green and red carpet.
The possibility of a Prime Ministerial visit to Mayo had already been discussed at the most recent meeting of the Westport and Belmullet Municipal District, a week before Mr King confirmed the news.
Cllr John O’Malley raised the prospect of a visit to Aughagower, noting that the road leading to the former home of the Prime Minister’s grandparents was in “dire straits” and in need of repair.
He asked whether special or emergency funding could be allocated, pointing out that although the road is quite short in length, it is “a terrible bad road” and should be addressed before the world leader’s visit.
“We couldn’t bring that man up that road,” he said. “Surely he would want to see where he came from, where his ancestors came from.”
Area Engineer at the Municipal District, Heather Gibbons, responded that “if and when” the council receives confirmation of the Prime Minister’s visit, it would “seek to address any issues” ahead of the trip.
This article has been funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.