James Horan (Monsignor)
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James Horan (May 5, 1911 – August 1, 1986) born in Partry, County Mayo, a late Parish Priest of Knock. He is most widely known for his successful campaign to bring an airport to Knock, his work on Knock Basilica, and is also credited for inviting Pope John Paul II to visit Knock Shrine in 1979.
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[edit] Ecclesiastical career
Educated at St. Jarlath's College, Tuam, Monsignor Horan trained for the priesthood in St Patrick's College, Maynooth. Ordained in 1936, his first post was in Glasgow, where he remained for three years. Having served as chaplin on an ocean liner and briefly in Ballyglunin, County Galway, he became curate in Toreen, the townland in which he was born. After also serving in Cloonfad, he was transferred to Knock in 1963, where he became parish priest in 1967.
[edit] Knock Shrine
While stationed at Knock, Monsignor Horan oversaw the building of a new church for Knock Shrine, which was dedicated in 1976. Knock Shrine was the stated goal of Pope John Paul II's visit in 1979, and during that visit the church's status was raised to Basilica.
[edit] Knock Airport
Monsignor Horan is widely credited as being the driving force behind the development of an international airport in the west of Ireland. Critics regarded the idea of an airport on a "foggy, boggy site" in Mayo as unrealistic, but funding was approved by the then Taoiseach, Charles Haughey, who performed the official opening in May 1986, five years after work commenced. The airport was originally known as Horan International Airport, but is now officially referred to as Ireland West Airport Knock.
[edit] Death
Monsignor Horan died while on pilgrimage to Lourdes, just a few months after the official opening of the airport. His remains were flown into Knock, the first funeral to fly into the airport he had campaigned for. He was buried in the grounds of the Knock Basilica.
[edit] Sources
- History of Monsignor James Horan (HTML). Official Knock Shrine website. Retrieved on April 24, 2006.
- Transport Infrastructure in Mayo - Aviation (HTML). Ask About Ireland. Retrieved on April 24, 2006.
- Death notice in New York Times (HTML). New York Times. Retrieved on April 24, 2006.
- Marian Shrine of Knock, Ireland (HTML). Sacred Destinations Travel Guide. Retrieved on April 24, 2006.
[edit] Further reading
- Memoirs, 1911-86 (1992) Monsignor James Horan, edited by Father Michael MacGreil, Brandon ISBN 0-86322-146-7
