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Showing a more personal side during his state visit to Ireland, Prime Minister Mark Carney visited the village of Aghagower, his family’s ancestral home, on Sunday morning where he was greeted by cheering villagers and streets lined with Canadian flags.
Members of the crowd, some of whom travelled up to an hour to greet the prime minister, shouted “welcome home” as Carney arrived at St. Patrick’s Church for morning mass.
“For my little son to meet him too, or to see him, it’s just an exciting day,” said Mary Rose Connell, a Canadian living in Ireland.
Connell’s son got that chance as the prime minister greeted them both and picked up the little boy, telling him “this is all for you.”
Carney also made a private stop at the graves of his great-grandparents and planted an Irish oak a few metres from the burial site to commemorate his visit.
Carney’s Sunday trip wasn’t entirely personal, though. Along with visiting the village, the prime minister’s schedule included a meeting with Irish President Catherine Connolly.
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A readout from the Prime Minister’s Office said the pair reflected on the “strong kinship” between Canada and Ireland and stressed the importance of bilateral cooperation.
At a press conference following his Aghagower visit, Carney told reporters Canada wants to deepen ties with Ireland and the European Union.
“We’re not satisfied with the status quo, we see a significant opportunity with Ireland, more broadly with the European Union, to deepen our commercial relationships with them,” Carney said.
He noted Ireland would be taking on the presidency of the EU for six months starting in July and that it would be putting a focus on competitiveness. The prime minister told reporters this included deeper commercial relationships and reducing red tape.
Sunday’s meeting came a day after Carney and Taoiseach Micheal Martin, Ireland’s head of government, agreed to work together on artificial intelligence, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology and food security.
Before departing Dublin on Saturday, Carney was given a plaque from the deputy commissioner of operations of the An Garda Siochana, the national policy and security service of the Republic of Ireland. Carney’s grandfather, Robert Carney, was one of the first men to join the Garda when it was established in 1922.
Back in Aghagower, one local shop is bringing a small taste of Canada to Ireland in honour of Carney’s visit. JP Scott, owner of Scott’s Bar and Grocery, created a sundae featuring maple syrup in Carney’s honour. Scott didn’t say if the ice-cream treat, dubbed “Mark’s Maple Sundae, uses real Canadian maple syrup, but he did note Canadians have been visiting the village since Carney became prime minister.
“As soon as it was announced that he was becoming prime minister in Canada, we had a steady stream of a lot of Canadian tourists coming on day trips out of the village.”
—with files from Global News’ Jillian Piper
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