– Brother Sean MacNamara
Our Lady of Knock
On a wet Thursday evening, August 21st, 1879, fifteen people watched - for about two hours - a heavenly vision consisting of Our Lady, St. Joseph, St. John, the Heavenly Lamb and adoring Angels at the Church of St. John the Baptist in Knock, Co. Mayo, Ireland - now the National Irish Shrine of Our Lady, visited by over a million pilgrims annually.
Many readers of this article will know of the famous Rosary priest, Fr. Patrick Peyton, born in Mayo and a regular visitor to Knock.
Were it not that in 1972 I had read in one of Ireland s weekly Catholic papers about the Mary Garden movement established in Philadelphia in 1951 by John S. Stokes, Jr., and the late Edward A. G. McTague, the chances are we would not now have our Irish National Mary Garden at the Shrine.
Tí Bhúrca atmosphere 'totally changed' without live music mayonews.ie - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from mayonews.ie Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The Bathing Pier at Dollymount Strand, Dublin
While You re Here. Finish your day with a visit to Howth Harbour. Pick a cafe terrace (check ahead for Covid opening hours) and watch the boats come in.
2. Best Urban Lighthouse: Great South Wall, Co Dublin
The Great South Wall guards the southern entrance to Dublin Port, and is one of Europe s longest seawalls. It s a surreal experience following the 18th-century causeway into theIrish Sea, almost as if you re walking on water. Moody winter conditions make the journey even more atmospheric. The challenge is to reach Poolbeg Lighthouse,2km away at the end of the wall. This quintessential landmark provides panoramic views of the whole city coastline.
In October, the MCIB’s report into the death of a long West Cork fisherman 12 months previously suggested that he may have fallen overboard from this open-deck vessel.
As previously reported on Afloat.ie, the MCIB determined that 23-year-old Kodie Healy was not wearing a lifejacket or personal flotation device (PFD) prior to the indecent in Dunmanus Bay on 9 October 2019 and he may not have been aware of a personal locator beacon on his vessel.
The MCIB was unable to establish the cause of the incident on 8 March in which the 78-year-old experienced angler drowned. But the fact his boat was found upright suggests he had fallen overboard and was unable to get back into his boat.