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The real miracle at Knock: Monsignor James Horan

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Niall O'Dowd

Published Wednesday, November 4, 2009, 11:50 AM
Updated Wednesday, November 4, 2009, 3:45 PM

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The real miracle at Knock: Monsignor James Horan | Irish News | IrishCentral




Miracle worker: Monsignor James Horan (left) is greeted by the Pope at Knock Shrine in 1979
Miracle worker: Monsignor James Horan (left) is greeted by the Pope at Knock Shrine in 1979

What does the current commotion at Knock Shrine tell us about Ireland today? 10,000 people gathered there last weekend from all over Ireland hoping to see the Virgin Mary appear, as she is thought to have done back in 1879.

Two men from Dublin claim to be visionaries and to be channeling the Virgin, but last Saturday she failed to appear, at least to most of the faithful gathered, though some say the sun danced in the sky and rumor that a blind man was healed raced through the crowd.

Now the two visionaries claim that the Virgin Mary will make her appearance on December 5, no doubt drawing further crowds to the tiny Mayo village which is a source of great pilgrimage for thousands of Irish every year.

Superstar Susan Boyle was first discovered singing at Knock on an annual pilgrimage from Scotland according to one report. That may have been a miracle in its own right.

This is serious stuff. Pope John Paul II in 1979 visited Knock as part of his only trip to Ireland, and the international airport a few miles from the village gives ample evidence of how important a location it has become.

The modern day Knock is the creation of Monsignor James Horan, as canny an operator as ever donned clerical garb in the Emerald Isle.

It was he who first invited the Pope to Knock and somehow made it happen despite widespread naysaying and general laughter that the Pope himself would ever visit an out of the way shrine in remote Mayo. They underestimated Monsignor James, however.

When the Pope arrived he said that his visit to Knock was the official reason he had come to Ireland. It was the kind of triumph for Horan that left the Dublin-based mandarins gasping.

Horan used Knock to make his case for rural Ireland and the utter lack of concern for any part of Ireland outside the Dublin pale, which was exemplified by the state planners at the time.

He pointed to the destruction of the 19th century railroad system all over the west of Ireland, and the fact that it was easier to travel to Mayo from Dublin in the latter part of the 19th century than it was in the late 20th.

He also saw that the curse of emigration had decimated counties like Mayo, and his advocacy for Knock Airport was as much about access to the west of Ireland as it was about pilgrims coming to the shrine.

Against all the odds he got his airport, perched on a “foggy and boggy” plain not far from his beloved shrine. Emigrants coming and going, mostly to London and back, filled it well for a time and gave a powerful boost to the local economy. There were even flights from America in the early days.

Like all other airports Knock has had its share of problems since, but it remains a testament to a remarkable man who refused to accept that the west of Ireland should be treated like an inferior hinterland and ignored by Dublin.

He would have had a lot to say in the past few months as the latest Knock controversy heated up. Horan was part showman, part priest, but his desire to help his flock overcame all else.

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Posted by Watereskhill on November 12,2009 | 09:16PM
One of my brothers who now lives in London got a return flight to visit friends in the neighbouring County (Next to Mayo)in Ireland for the equivalent of fifteen dollars. To Knock airport and back. He agrees that was in itself--A Miracle. And had the good graces in an e-mail to add 'Thank you Monsignor Hornan'.
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Posted by kilarney06 on November 10,2009 | 06:19AM
I was lucky enough to Go to Knockshrine in '06. There was a calming peace there. Sadly our tour bus was only there
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Posted by SadieMy on November 8,2009 | 01:24AM
What I think is immaterial. It never gets published anyway.
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Posted by MMLeprechaun on November 6,2009 | 08:20AM
My dear Mr. O'Dowd, you have your heros backwards...the Mother of God always gets top billing, especially at Knock. Msgr. Horan would totally agree with me. Actually, he was the instrument that our Lord & His Mother used to bring life back to the area of Mayo. The RC Church acknowledges that Knock is a legitimate place of an apparition...something she doesn't do frequently. Be proud of that fact. And be proud of the good Monsignor Horan who, I am sure, is still looking out for his beloved Shrine and County Mayo from a far better place than you and I can claim to be right now.
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Posted by phoenixnurse on November 6,2009 | 08:12AM
Nice article, remarkable priest in Msgr.Horan...never knew the details of the Pope's trip...one thing for sure, it has attracted thousands of visitors for the right reasons and strengthened the faith of many. "I believe in Miracles" really happens! Knock is a good place!
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Posted by Bridgetftmyers on November 6,2009 | 07:04AM
Why Susan Boyle?????? We have our own U2 get him to Knock !!!!!!






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