RYANAIR BOSS Michael O'Leary was surprised to be honoured as an "unofficial and official ambassador for the midlands" at a function attended by 700 business and community leaders at the weekend.
Mr O'Leary was guest speaker at the inaugural Ambassadors' Ball held by the Midlands Gateway Chamber in Mr O'Leary's home town of Mullingar. He was under the impression he would be presenting the Ambassador's Award, rather than receiving the accolade.
Among the attendance at the function was Mr O'Leary's old adversary Mary O'Rourke TD, with whom he had differences when she was minister for transport.
In his address, Mr O'Leary wished Brian Cowen every success and noted that his likely appointment as taoiseach would be good for the midlands.
"Ryanair shows what Irish people can achieve when we put our minds to it. We don't limit ourselves to being just good in Ireland," he said, adding that Ryanair was leading an air travel revolution that was now spreading all over the world.
He urged the midlands chamber to see its sights high. "We shouldn't just be thinking we want to beat Dublin or we want to beat Galway. Let's take on the world. We have world-class companies here in the midlands and we should have more of them," he said.
"What we should do now is have the ambition, and drive business forward in the midlands," Mr O'Leary said.
The midlands gateway region has one of the fastest growing populations in the Republic (35 per cent) and also contains 10 per cent of the overall population.