BY Gerard Gough | August 17 | 
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Postcard from Knock
A pilgrimage to Knock can also provide a doorway to the west coast of Ireland, GERARD GOUGH discovers, allowing visitors to combine the uplifting spiritual experience of a visit to the shrine with the area’s renowned hospitality and sights
Sitting among a busy congregation for the celebration of Sunday Mass in the Our Lady Queen of Ireland Basilica at Knock, the words of Mark’s Gospel could hardly have been more fitting.
“The Apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to Him all they had done and taught. Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, He said to them, ‘Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.’ So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place.” (Mark 6:30-32)
Had the Apostles been alive today, they would find no better place to take that rest than the small, tranquil County Mayo town of Knock. From the moment you touch down on Irish soil at Ireland West Airport in Knock—the late Mgr James Horan’s legacy—an air of spirituality consumes you, visually enhanced, of course, by a small statue to Our Lady welcoming visitors in the taxiing area.
A short drive through the lush greenery brings into view the now iconic spire of the basilica that dominates the town.
I had the pleasure of staying in Knock House Hotel, situated just outside the shrine site, but literally a two-minute walk to all five churches and a museum contained within the ample grounds. Boasting 68 large bedrooms, which either look out over the unspoiled countryside or the shrine itself, it provides the perfect resting place, even featuring EWTN among its TV channels to cater for the most devout pilgrims. Indeed, the hotel prides itself on catering for a pilgrim’s every need and to this end features six bedrooms that have been especially designed to cater for wheelchair users and also a ‘medical assessment unit’ to attend to guests with particular medical requirements.
Pilgrims need not even leave the hotel for a meal as its Four Seasons restaurant serves up fine cuisine on a daily basis for up to 90 guests. A particular highlight of mine was the Knock House Seafood Chowder, which was rich and creamy and complimented fantastically by that traditional Irish favourite, soda bread.
The shrine itself is a fitting tribute to the events of August 21, 1879, when the figures of Our Lady, St Joseph and St John the Evangelist appeared to 15 witnesses—young and old—at the south gable of the church at Knock. Beside to their left was an altar with a Cross and the figure of a lamb, around which angels hovered.
A depiction of the apparition is now set in stone on the gable wall, beautifully encased inside the glass Apparition Chapel, which in its quieter moments, allows pilgrims the chance to silently reflect on that monumental day and offer up their prayers.
The much larger, but equally impressive Our Lady of Knock, Queen of Ireland Basilica is also worth an extended visit. The huge hexagonal church—designed by Dáithí P Hanly and consecrated in 1976—can hold up to 10,000 pilgrims. Its walls are adorned with statues to Our Lady, St John and St Joseph among others and it houses Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament. A tranquil spirituality flows through it, even at its some of its busiest times.
The centenary visit in 1979 by Blessed Pope John Paul II to the shrine is also commemorated within the basilica in the form of stunning pieces of art lining the entrances, but also just outside its walls, where a statue of the late Holy Father stands. The golden rose, which the Pope conferred on Knock, is also on display in memory of the visit and his devotion to the Marian shrine.
The complex also contains the Parish Church/Old Church, the Chapel of Reconciliation, a religious bookstore and a fantastic museum, which details the history, not only of the site, but also of life in Ireland at the time of the apparition. Visitors also have the chance to read some of the testimonies of those cured at the shrine or those who have had favours attributed to the intercession of Our Lady of Knock.
While the shrine is the focal point of the town, it also has, as you would expect a host of souvenir shops and a few restaurants and bars. On my visit to the town, I was lucky enough to pop my head into Burke’s Bar at the far end of the town on a Friday, where I happened upon an energetic live music session, led by expatriate Scotsman Peter Devers, who managed to coax me to come up and sing, albeit after a few pints of the black stuff!
If, during your visit to the town, you wish to explore a little, the stunning seaside town of Westport is accessible by taking a train from the nearby town of Claremorris. While some complain that the east coast of Ireland has been adversely affected by the growing influence of English consumerism, the west and Westport in particular, remains largely unspoilt and retains a sense of authenticity.
The brave among you may wish to enhance your pilgrimage experience by climbing Croagh Patrick barefoot or otherwise. Me? I was happy to photograph it from a distance this time around, before retiring to one of the most authentic Irish pubs you’ll come across—Moran’s Bar—for some liquid refreshment.
A nearby walk along the Carrowbeg River will lead you to St Mary’s Catholic Church—perhaps one of the few churches with a stained glassed window dedicated to a local battalion of the IRA—and also to Westport House, an 18th century edifice, which features on its grounds a pirate adventure park for kids young and old.
So let Knock cater for your spiritual wellbeing and let one of Ireland’s most enticing counties take care of the rest.
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