Monsignor James Horan was a Catholic priest who invited the Pope to Knock in 1979. The Monsignor was the spearhead in raising the funds to build the airport in foggy,boggy Mayo and it opened in 1985 with 3 flights by Aer Lingus to Rome. He died in 1986.
The present airport flies to a few destinations,Poland and a couple of others beside the UK. Center Parc are opening a new holiday village nearby in 2018-19 at Longford Forest, similar to the one at Woburn in Bedfordshire.