Joe Kennedy named Mayo Person of the Year

Joe Kennedy is named 2010 Mayo Person of the Year


Anton McNulty

THE former Chairman of Ireland West Airport Knock, successful businessman and philanthropist, Joe Kennedy has been given the honour of being named the 2010 Mayo Person of the Year.
The announcement was made yesterday (Monday) by Muintir Mhaigh Eo Átha Cliath at a ceremony at the Guinness Storehouse where Doocastle native Joe Kennedy was announced as the recipient of the Virginia Gallagher Mayo Person of the Year Award. The Bonniconlon Agricultural Show and Gymkhana Committee were named as the recipients of the Mayo Meitheal Award. Both awards will be presented at the Muintir Mhaigh Eo Átha Cliath gala banquet on Feiday, February 12 at the City West Hotel in Dublin.
Joe Kennedy is known as one of the most respected and renowned businessman to come from Mayo. Setting up his construction business, J Kennedy & Co Ltd, in Manchester in 1959 it expanded into other parts of the UK and from there into the Middle East and parts of America.
Joe served as chairman of Ireland West Airport Knock for seven and a half years and during that time, the number of passengers using the airport grew considerably. The current Chairman of IWAK, Liam Scallon told The Mayo News that he was delighted that Joe was the recipient of the award and said he was highly deserving of it for not only his service to the airport but also for his generosity.
“We came into the airport together and I found him to be always very enthusiastic about the airport and never afraid to try new things. During his time at the airport he was a man of great dedication and courage and personally always gave me his full backing. It was a breath of fresh air to work with someone like Joe who reached out to progress the airport. He is a very generous and giving man and very deserving of the award,” he said.
Born in America in 1936, Joe returned with his parents to Mayo in 1940 where the family set up a business in their native Doocastle in east Mayo. Educated in the local national school, Joe emigrated to England when he was 16 years of age and worked in the construction industry. After an initial uneasy start to his business, he secured his first big contract with Pirelli, followed by a contract with Norweb which helped to establish his business.
Throughout his years as a successful businessman, Joe was always generous to the needy and less fortunate in the community and had a particular ‘soft-spot’ for his native Mayo. His good deeds included contributing to at least 200 funerals for Irish emigrants to be buried in their native soil. In 1995 he set up the Kennedy Charity Foundation and since then over £10 million Sterling has been given by Joe to worthy causes - with over £900,000 Stg to Mayo charities. He has also give €2 million to the Newman Institute and over €100,000 to the Diocese of Killala. His good work has resulted in him being honoured with the Manchester Mayo Association Award and a Knight of St Gergory Award from Pope John Paul II.
“Joe Kennedy never misses an opportunity when he hears of someone in need. If he feels help is needed he will respond. All those who know Joe are aware of his most generous nature and how he quietly gives to charity, never revealing the true extent of his generosity to worthy causes and suffering humanity,” read the citation from Muintir Mhaigh Eo Átha Cliath.
Joe assumed the Chairmanship of Ireland West Airport Knock in 2002 and during that period the airport entered a new era of success. In 2004, passenger numbers increased from 125,000 to 372,992 and that number had risen to 630,000 passengers by the time he retired in 2009. Extensive investment was made to the airport during that time with the Government confirming a €27.1 million grant towards the airports Capital Investment programme. Last October, the extended terminal at IWAK was named the Kennedy Terminal in his honour.
Joe lives in Manchester and is married to Kathleen (nee Keevney) from Cloonfad and they have seven children - five boys and two girls.

Mayo Meitheal Award
THE Bonniconlon Agricultural Show and Gymkhana which has been in operation since 1949 was the deserving recipient of the Mayo Meitheal Award. Held annually on the August Bank Holiday Monday and boasting a prize fund of up to €45,000 it attracts over 30,000 people to the north Mayo village every year.
From the 1950’s to the present day, the show has, year on year, pieced together segments of its history and now celebrates a colourful jigsaw of achievements and successes. Vast improvements have taken place in the accommodation of the event - the showgrounds and adjacent hall. In 2008, the event introduced new showgrounds at the show field and parish centre which now sees the provision of 200 acres to facilitate the ever-growing number of attractions and exhibitions. In recent years the show has evolved considerably with the provision of live bands on the field and wide- ranging side shows and events that cater for all ages and interests.
“The Bonniconlon Agricultural Show and Gymkhana, taking place each year on the August Bank Holiday, has earned a reputation for being one of the most successful innovative and well-attended shows, attracting visitors from all over Ireland. It is a real, traditional Irish family day out for the thousands of attendees who return every year. The Bonniconlon Show, in our view, captures the essence of community spirit, cultural awareness and above all it keeps alive rural Mayo traditions,” read the citation.