Mayo village to twin with John Wayne’s hometown in USA

IT has been some year for Cong! Back in June, The Quiet Man Museum, operated by Gerry, Margaret and Lisa Collins, was officially designated by the European Film Academy as a 'Treasure of European Film Culture', putting it on the global map alongside iconic cinema landmarks like Rome's Trevi Fountain and Salzburg’s Felsenreitschule Theatre, famous from The Sound of Music.

In late July and August the village went wild with joy as the Mayo team bus rolled into Cong and local hero, Tommy Conroy, had the honour of carrying the Sam Maguire Cup off the bus to an ecstatic welcome.

It was a proud evening for Gerry and Margaret Collins and their daughter Lisa who welcomed the large gathering of locals and visitors to a warm reception. Lisa excelled in her role as compére for the ceremony, superbly managing to maintain that ‘down-home’ West of Ireland sense of calm and welcome.

And now comes the news that Cong, the village more than any other on the island of Ireland that is the ‘umbilical cord’ that binds us in such a special way to ‘Irish America,’ looks set to be twinned with Winterset, Iowa.

This is the birthplace of John Wayne, the legendary actor who played the lead role of Sean Thornton alongside Maureen O’Hara as Mary Kate Danaher in the classic movie under the magnificent direction of John Ford and enhanced so beautifully by the enduring music score of Victor Young.

“We are actively pursuing the twinning initiative in a special way in recent weeks as 2027 marks the 75th anniversary of the official release of The Quiet Man which became an iconic master-piece from the outset,” Lisa Collins told me in recent days.

“This has come about through the 35 year connection that Gerry, Margaret and myself have built up with Brian Downes, Director of the John Wayne Birthplace Museum. As a celebration of the 75th anniversary of the release of The Quiet Man next year, both The Quiet Man Museum and the John Wayne Birthplace Museum felt the time was right to approach our respective relevant officials regarding making the connection between the two places official.

“We believe that having Cong, twinned with Winterset, will be a fantastic boost for tourism in Cong and in County Mayo by continuing to promote the connection between Cong, the West of Ireland and the United States. We look forward to being instrumental in developing and fostering this connection.”

Meanwhile over in Winterset, Iowa, plans are already well advanced to celebrate what they term ‘cinematic’ history and the lead role played by their favourite son in the Academy Award-winning classic, The Quiet Man. And they intend to celebrate in style!

“The movie masterpiece starring John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara was first released in the spring of 1952. The 2027 John Wayne Birthday Celebration will be pulling out all the stops in celebrating 75 years of the landmark motion picture during the weekend of May 28 and 29 in Winterset, Iowa.

“Events will be centered at the John Wayne Birthplace and Museum, The Iowa Theater, a Fly-In breakfast at the Winterset Airport, and a John Wayne Birthplace 5K Run/Walk.

“The picturesque Covered Bridges Winery just north of Winterset will host our ever-popular main event which will feature a benefit auction, Irish music, heavy appetizers and, this year, The Quiet Man projected on a giant outdoor movie screen,” says a spokesperson for the John Wayne Birthplace Museum.

Marion Michael Morrison was born on May 26, 1907, and had strong Scotch-Irish connections along with Irish and English ancestry, especially in Co Antrim. He was raised as a Presbyterian. John Wayne starred in numerous Western classics such as Rio Bravo, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, Red River, Stagecoach, McLintock, She Wore A Yellow Ribbon, The Searchers and The Shootist and several others movies including Sands of Iwo Jima and North To Alaska.

John Wayne died on June 11, 1979, in Los Angeles. He was 72. In 1980, he was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Ronald Reagan, the highest civilian honor of the United States.

In 1999, the American Film Institute selected Wayne as one of the greatest male stars of classic American cinema.

It is hoped that a delegation from the Mayo and Galway region will travel to Winterset, Iowa, in May for the ‘hometown’ celebrations and where the twinning process with Cong will be set in stone.