The story of Knock… The village of Knock was typical of any rural
village in the West of Ireland in the late 19th century. At the centre was the local
Parish Church with two School Houses nearby and a scattering of small thatched houses.
1879 was a year of uncertainty and unrest in Ireland and conflict erupted over land
and landownership. In the West of Ireland, matters were even worse as another famine
threatened. A combination of excess rain that year and a swift and devastating potato blight
added to the fears of those people for whom the Great Famine of the 1840s was still a
painful memory. It was against this backdrop that the Apparition at Knock took place.
The 21st of August 1879 fell on a Thursday. The people of the village had spent the day
doing the work of the harvest time of year. Some brought turf home from the bog to keep
their homes warm; others gathered hay to feed their livestock during the winter months and
the Parish Priest, Fr. Cavanagh, made his way on horseback to the far end of the parish
to a parishioner in need. A typical day in Knock.
In the evening, Mary McLoughlin, Fr. Cavanagh’s housekeeper, visited her neighbours – Mrs
Byrne and family. Mary was a woman who liked a good chat and when events of the day were
discussed in detail she took her leave and started out on her way home. Mary Byrne, the
oldest of the family, kept her company along the way. As they walked and chatted on their
way past the Church, they suddenly noticed that something very unusual was happening
there. Excitedly they ran to the nearby houses to spread the word and very quickly a crowd
gathered at the wall of the Church.
This group of people are known to us today as the Knock Witnesses. Dominick Byrne said
that it was the biggest sight that he had ever witnessed in his life. John Curry, the
youngest child there simply didn’t have the words to describe what he saw.
In the centre of the Apparition was a lamb and cross on an altar. Bridget Trench, a native
Irish speaker, fell to her knees and thanked God for sending Our Lady to Knock; Judy Campbell
said that the crown on her head was the most beautiful she had ever seen. St. Joseph, was
by Our Lady’s side and Pat Hill noticed that his hands were joined like a person in
prayer. Young Margaret Byrne, known as Maggie, who was ill with TB tells us that St. John
the Evangelist was standing to the other side of Our Lady with a book in his hand and appeared
to be preaching. The entire scene was so bright that Patrick Walsh could see it from his farm
a mile and a half away. On that wet August night, the village of Knock,
Cnoc Mhuire, was changed forever.
2. Fr. Richard
“…And so the story of Knock, as we know it today, began.
For me, as Rector of Knock Shrine, I find that every day at Knock is special
and the faith of the people who come here is inspiring. I believe that the core
message of Knock can be found in the profound silence of the Apparition
Chapel and the hope that it continues to bring to those who come here.
Personally, I am humbled by the everyday things I witness and feel privileged
to have been called here to serve.”