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.
Get breaking National news
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
Statistics Canada says the amount Canadian households owe outpaced income for the sixth straight quarter.
Meanwhile, Carney is outspending Trudeau.
I hope the airplane food taste good.
Seems Carney has nothing better to do. Lol
So I’ll write it again !!! Global news went down hill since the liberals baught them. Stop making this guy look like a hero and start reporting the real news from real Canadians. Our people are dying from drug overdoses, our elders are being forced in the streets, the list goes on and on. Shame on you global news I remember when you stood for something.
Well I see global news doesn’t like being called out on their B.S they deleted my comment lol like I said baught and paid for by the liberals.
Big commotion at Dublin International Airport when Carney arrived…police caught a woman with 50 pounds of marijuana in her bra…they said it was the biggest bust they’d ever seen…
Carney … another politician that takes holidays on the taxpayer dollar (used to be dime but we’ve had a lot of inflation under the liberal gov’ts)
Carney hiding in Europe as back in Canada we have the worst economy in the G20 and the highest food inflation in the G7.
i am sure tax payers paid for a private jet for his entire family. including the trip to visit the grave site of his incest brother and sister .grandparents
just like Ireland Canada is now a third world S**T hole , he should feel right at home
fker should dig a hole beside his grandparents and lay in it
BIG TURN OUT FOR the DEMON
How much did Carney spend in catering on his junket to Ireland. $50-$60k. Outrageous bills as Carney is having a good time on the taxpayers dime
Carney isn’t a celebrity, but a politician. You would think he would know to stay out of peoples faces. People got sick of Trudeau quick for the same reasons. Empty press conferences and announcements are not required.
Well isn’t he just so special! He’s the proverbial narcissist that will win the hearts and minds of strangers and come home to all the damage he’s caused in the home he happens to reign over at this time. It would be great if he could do his family reunion and speeches on his own time and dime. Canadians are over their heads paying for his flying high parties while we try and navigate our livelihood. By the way he keeps putting out there he’s talking for Canadians. Not for the ones I know or for me. Stay there with your gparents and Irish to know you is to …. you. Typical brown toothed undertaker. Creepy!
@ anonymous 2:25 pm
Only those sheep who’s elbows are permanently raised in the hope Carney may just fulfill at least one of his many promises that have never come to fruition. But hey, their arms will get tired of Carney failing to produce over and over and over again.
Carney is catching Trudeau quickly for the most useless photo op’s as PM. What waste of taxpayer money.
Who cares where his ancestors came from, what Canadians care about is when is he going to do something to help them in their day to day struggles in this Liberal created high cost economy. If going there is so important to him, why has he never gone there previously on his own dime.
Carney fiddles while Canada burns, WEXIT ASAP.
I still recall Carney pretending he was an amazing goaltender, NHL material. He was basically the 3rd string goalie at Harvard.
“Carney told reporters Canada wants to deepen ties with Ireland and the European Union.”
Says the guy who just 4 years ago as Economic Advisor to Trudeau recommended against selling LNG to both Germany and Japan. The man pushed for anti-development carbon taxes that kept our economy subject to the USA. An entire chapter in his autobiography is about carbon raxes. Yet now he travels the globe trying to secure these same deals that he refused. And the sheep in Canada love him.
Elbows up Anonymous lol. Blame either PP or Trump, the typical liberal way. Two individuals who aren’t in charge of our country. Keep them elbows up high, don’t forget to bend over.
who is paying for his private “family” visit and how much cost you taxpayers?
Carney you and all the Aliens should go back to your mother country especially that dirty Smith.,👍🤬🤬
Yawn…..Carney. No charisma and bland like flour and water. Clearly he likes to hear himself speak.
More verbal diarrhea from Carney. Trying to deflect from his lack of results so far as PM.
Clearly Carney has a lot of time on his hands.
Carney should be dealing with the pressing domestic issues that Canada has like the worst economy in the G20 and highest food inflation in the G20.
Pontificating about ancestral history is a true waste of time.
PP still in Detroit telling us to buy American? LOL
Our tax dollars at work !!! Thank you to all the L I b t a r d s who keep voting these freeloaders into power.
“State visit to Ireland ”
More like a taxpayers funded vacation to Ireland with a quick stop for Talk Carney to float around in the Liberal Showboat as a false justification to be traveling again.
@Matthew: idiot comment from a trumper who would NEVER be invited there in the first place. lol…..
You know how stupid you sound eh?
I wonder if the taxpayers would pony up and pay for me to visit my ancestral home. I could forego the fines wines and steak on the flight over if that would help. Elbozos up!
In fact, this is called pitiful deflection from a failing government.