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Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Aughagower Visit

There’s a special buzz around West Mayo this week as Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney prepares to visit Ireland — with County Mayo firmly on the itinerary.

The visit is a significant one. The Government of Ireland has confirmed that Taoiseach Micheál Martin will meet Prime Minister Carney in Dublin on Saturday, 13 June, during Carney’s first visit to Ireland as Canadian Prime Minister. As part of the visit, Prime Minister Carney will also travel to Mayo.

For the people of Aughagower, just outside Westport, the visit carries a deeply personal meaning.

Carney’s Mayo roots have been proudly noted on both sides of the Atlantic. In a speech in Ottawa in September 2025, Taoiseach Micheál Martin described him as “a proud Irish Canadian whose grandparents hail from Aughagower in County Mayo.” Local reporting has also connected the Mayo visit with Ayle, Aughagower, the ancestral home of Carney’s family.

It’s a lovely full-circle moment for this small historic village. A family story that began in rural Mayo travelled across the Atlantic to Canada — and now returns to the fields, roads and relations of Aughagower.

While the international attention may be focused on politics and diplomacy, Aughagower itself has a much older story to tell. The village is home to Aghagower Round Tower and Church, a state-owned National Monument cared for by the Office of Public Works. It also sits along the ancient Tóchar Phádraig pilgrim route between Ballintubber Abbey and Croagh Patrick.

So this week, Aughagower is more than a place on a political itinerary. It is a reminder of the powerful ties between Ireland and Canada, of the journeys made by generations of Mayo families, and of the enduring pull of home.

If Mark Carney’s visit has sparked your curiosity about Aughagower, its history, its round tower, its pilgrim path and its special connection to West Mayo, we’ve put together a fuller feature on this remarkable village.