'A Wing and a Prayer' - The Story of Knock Airport

'A Wing and a Prayer' - The Story of Knock Airport

We're building an airport!

1986 en 52 minutes

Rating: 10

Plot

"We're building an airport", Monsignor James Horan tells Jim Fahy of RTÉ News, in 1981. The bold story of a 'simple' country priest, with a dream to build a 7500ft runway for an international airport, on a "foggy, boggy hill" in and around Barnacahoge and Barnalyra, Co. Mayo. A feat few thought possible. It began as a one off news item, and develops into a charming documentary, written by Fahy and directed by Blackman over the years. The changing governments, all get caught up in the chaos, and almost nobody in power wanted it to go ahead. This controversial campaign to put Connacht on the map, faces setback after setback. But none great enough, to stop this "old man in a hurry" from getting his airport for the province, opened to the public by 1986.

Trailer

Cast

Monsignor James Horan

Monsignor James Horan

Self - Knock Parish Priest

Charles Haughey

Charles Haughey

Self - Fianna Fáil (four time) Former Taoiseach

Pádraig Flynn

Pádraig Flynn

Self - Fianna Fáil Minister of State Department of Transport, 1980-81

Albert Reynolds

Albert Reynolds

Self - Fianna Fáil Minister for Transport 1979-81

Jim Mitchell

Jim Mitchell

Self - Fine Gael TD Minister for Communications 1984-87

Jim Ryan

Jim Ryan

Self - Airport Design Consultant

Michael O'Malley

Michael O'Malley

Self - Mayo County Manager

Joe Murphy

Joe Murphy

Self - Jaycees International, 1981

Paddy O'Toole

Paddy O'Toole

Self - Fine Gael TD, Mayo East 1977-87

Barry Desmond

Barry Desmond

Self - Labour TD, Minister of State Department of Finance 1981-82

Frank McCullogh

Frank McCullogh

Self - Airport Action Committee

Morley Safer

Morley Safer

Self - CBS '60 Minutes' Reporter

Mary Donoghue

Mary Donoghue

Self - Airport Fundraising Volunteer

Maurice Buckby

Maurice Buckby

Self - Airport Director, British Airports International

Danny Higgins

Danny Higgins

Self - Managing Director, Celtic Air

Sister

Sister

Self - Nun

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