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 traveled up to an hour to welcome the prime minister, shouted “welcome home” as Carney arrived at St. Mary’s Church. Patrick for morning mass.
“For my little son to be able to meet him too, or see him, it’s a great day,” said Mary Rose Connell, a Canadian living in Ireland.
Connell’s son got that chance when the prime minister greeted them both and took the boy in his arms, telling him “this is all for you.”
Prime Minister Mark Carney lifts 18-month-old Malachy Morgan wearing a Montreal Canadiens jersey, in Aghagower, County Mayo, Ireland, on Sunday, June 14, 2026.
CANADIAN PRESS/Christopher Katsarov
Carney also stopped personally at his great-grandfather’s grave and planted an Irish oak tree a few feet from the burial site to commemorate his visit.
Carney’s trip on Sunday wasn’t entirely private. As well as visiting the village, the prime minister’s schedule also includes a meeting with Irish President Catherine Connolly.
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A report from the Prime Minister’s Office said the pair reflected the “strong kinship” between Canada and Ireland and stressed the importance of bilateral cooperation.
At a press conference following his visit to Aghagower, Carney told reporters that Canada wanted to deepen ties with Ireland and the European Union.
“We are not satisfied with the status quo, we see a huge opportunity with Ireland, and more broadly with the European Union, to deepen our commercial relationship with them,” Carney said.
He noted Ireland will assume EU presidency for six months starting in July and will focus on competitiveness. The Prime Minister told journalists this included deeper commercial ties and reduced red tape.
Sunday’s meeting came a day after Carney and Taoiseach Micheal Martin, Ireland’s head of government, agreed to cooperate on artificial intelligence, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology and food security.
Before leaving Dublin on Saturday, Carney was presented with a plaque from the deputy commissioner for operations of An Garda Siochana, the Republic of Ireland’s national policy and security service. Carney’s grandfather, Robert Carney, was one of the first to join the Guard when it was founded in 1922.
Back in Aghagower, one of the local shops is bringing a little taste of Canada to Ireland in honor of Carney’s visit. JP Scott, owner of Scott’s Bar and Grocery, created a sundae with maple syrup in Carney’s honor. Scott did not say whether the ice cream called “Mark’s Maple Sundae” uses real Canadian maple syrup, but he noted that Canadians have been visiting the village since Carney became prime minister.
“As soon as it was announced that he was prime minister of Canada, many Canadian tourists came to travel outside the country.”
—with files from Jillian Piper of Global News
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