A Wing and a Prayer – The Story of Knock Airport

We're building an airport!

Directed by John Blackman, "A Wing and a Prayer – The Story of Knock Airport" follows the efforts to construct an international airport at Knock in County Mayo during the early 1980s. Originating from a 1981 RTÉ News report, the film charts Monsignor James Horan’s campaign to build a full-length runway in a remote, rural location, documenting the political resistance, changing governments, and repeated setbacks that accompanied the project before the airport’s opening in 1986.

Documentary History TV Movie

Monsignor James Horan

(Self - Knock Parish Priest)

Charles Haughey

(Self - Fianna Fáil (four time) Former Taoiseach)

Pádraig Flynn

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

Albert Reynolds

(Self - Fianna Fáil Minister for Transport 1979-81)

Jim Mitchell

(Self - Fine Gael TD Minister for Communications 1984-87)

Jim Ryan

(Self - Airport Design Consultant)

Michael O'Malley

(Self - Mayo County Manager)

Joe Murphy

(Self - Jaycees International, 1981)

Paddy O'Toole

(Self - Fine Gael TD, Mayo East 1977-87)

Barry Desmond

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

Frank McCullogh

(Self - Airport Action Committee)

Morley Safer

(Self - CBS '60 Minutes' Reporter)

Mary Donoghue

(Self - Airport Fundraising Volunteer)

Maurice Buckby

(Self - Airport Director, British Airports International)

Danny Higgins

(Self - Managing Director, Celtic Air)

Sister

(Self - Nun)