Devoted son wore deceased father's shoes to meet Pope 'so he could walk the journey with me'

Art O' Leary, centre right, meeting Pope Francis when he visited the Vatican City in 2017 while working for President Micheal D Higgins. Art's father Bill O' Leary was a religious man who died in 2014, and Art wore his father's shoes to meet the Pope. The smiles in the photograph are as the translator tells the Pope about the shoes.

When Art O’ Leary met Pope Francis in 2017, he was wearing shoes that did not fit him very well — but he had good reason for that.

The shoes had belonged to his father Bill, who died in 2013.

“My dad was a man of unshakeable faith,” he said, adding: “He would have loved the idea of me getting to meet the Pope, so I just said I’d bring something along just as a memento.

And then I thought I’d wear his shoes so he could walk the journey with me

In the Vatican, he stood in line to meet Pope Francis — who was greeting people and speaking through a translator with them.

“He gave us all a little medal, and I just told him the story,” Mr O’ Leary said.

He shared that the shoes were his father's, also telling Pope Francis: “And they’re a size too small and my feet are killing me.” 

This was translated for Pope Francis.

“The translator started laughing and then — as you can see from the photograph — the Pope just started to laugh as well," Mr O' Leary said.

He laughed and he moved along. He said something but I didn’t catch what he said, but it was just a lovely moment

Mr O'Leary added: “It was a very special moment I have to say. It was a lovely thing to do, I was very close with my dad.” 

Bill had been a garda superintendent. “He was a very proud West Cork man, he was from Castlehaven,” Mr O'Leary said.

“His faith was very important to him, the Catholic Church was very important to him as well. I’d say he would have been absolutely thrilled at the notion his son would get to meet the Pope.” 

At the time, Mr O’ Leary was secretary general to the President of Ireland. He later met the Pope again in Dublin during a more brief interaction.

“I’ve been very fortunate, the Pope was a very special person,” he said on Monday.

It’s a nice memory to have of what was an important connection for me, and also the connection with my dad as well

Mr O’ Leary is now secretary general of the electoral commission.

Knock Airport

When Pope Francis disembarked the specially chartered plane from Dublin to Knock in August 2018, he certainly wasn't the first VIP to land there.

However, even American presidents and famous sportspeople couldn’t claim to have had Ireland West Airport built for them.

“In 1979, when Pope John Paul II came to visit Knock, that was the inspiration for Monsignor [James] Horan to build an airport here,” said the airport’s head of marketing and aviation development, Donal Healy.

He said: ‘The next time a pope comes here, there’ll be an airport here’

Mr Healy recalled the whole area being abuzz ahead of the pontiff’s arrival, with planning conducted weeks in advance for what was a major security operation at the airport.

“It was a real symbolic occasion,” he said. “I remember on the morning, the weather was shocking. It was bucketing down and visibility was quite poor.” 

There had been fears the flight may not be able to land on schedule, but the clouds parted just in time.

“Someone was looking down,” Mr Healy said.

When he stepped off the plane, Pope Francis was greeted warmly by operations manager John McCarthy, his wife Mary, and their children.

“They’ve really treasured that,” he said. 

They’ve since exchanged Christmas cards too

Three busloads of children from local schools turned up too, and Mr Healy said the pontiff took his time to greet the kids.

“It has created lifelong memories for anyone who was there on the day,” he said. 

“He made time for everyone. I think everyone that was there, everyone felt something that day. That was a great feeling in the airport that day.” 

However, there was also to be a “viral” moment when his opportunistic colleague, Audrey Elliott, decided that what the people of the county the Pope had come to visit needed was some divine intervention.

“She got a Mayo jersey and he signed his name on it,” Mr Healy said. “That’s been framed and displayed in our Sláinte cafe.

“[But] it didn’t work. Signing it didn’t work.” 

It at least hasn’t worked yet, in any case, as the Mayo footballers’ quest for an elusive All-Ireland championship goes on.