An anatomy of the future life of a rural Irish airport

While it was fitting to mark the 40th anniversary of Ireland West Airport Knock and celebrate the achievements of everyone involved in its success story, the reality is that the facility is facing critical challenges in its future development.

The good news is that it is in a strong position in terms of achieving its objectives.

When the Minister for Transport, Darragh O'Brien, and his government cabinet colleague Dara Calleary visited the airport for its anniversary celebrations, they were handed a brief outlining a range of proposals needing massive investment to bring the amenity to the next level, so to speak.

While the dossier was strictly for the eyes of the two senior ministers in question, it can be taken for granted that much of it centred on the development of the airport site into a state-of-the-art location for industrial and corporate investment with tax-free incentives, creating a beacon for the region's economic growth and sustainability.

Now this masterplan, in effect, will, when accomplished, go way beyond the realms of running an airport and into a sphere that even the legendary Mons. James Horan and Jim Ryan, founders of the airport, would scarcely have dreamed of.

But it presents the exact same challenges that those very men faced during their era - the need for sustained and generous Exchequer support and the requirement to tick all the necessary boxes in that regard.

While much has been achieved through remarkable resolve and resilience since the 1980s, the coming decade or so will be equally demanding in fulfilling the next phase of its ambitions.

In a sense, one is left wondering if it is fair that one relatively small corner of Mayo is being shouldered, and willingly so, with such huge responsibility and workload in respect of delivering a focal point for the county's future economic growth and expansion.

A case of the so-called black triangle of neglect becoming the complete opposite - a golden vista of renewed hope and expectation for rural Ireland.

And, hopefully, nobody will be shouting stop, if you get my drift.