This is 2009, right? Insanity at Knock!

J70 · October 12, 2009, 07:13:25 PM

Has April 1st come early? WTF was going on in Knock yesterday?!!

I know bad times bring out the more superstitious and gullible side of people, but in this day and age?!!

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2009/1012/1224256437842.html

Thousands wait for Knock apparition

THOUSANDS GATHERED at Knock Shrine, Co Mayo, yesterday hoping to see an apparition of Our Lady.

There were ripples of applause from a crowd estimated at more than 5,000 as some people believed they could see the sun shimmering, changing colour and dancing in the sky.

Some people were rapturous afterwards. Others were highly sceptical. "It's an optical illusion, pure and simple," one sceptic, who did not wish to be named, said. "Anybody looking at the bright sun long enough would begin to imagine things." But other pilgrims were adamant that something supernatural, possibly life changing, had occurred.

John Tunney, from Islandeady, Castlebar, said: "I'm 53 years old and I never seen the sun go like that before. I witnessed the sun go all different colours, yellow, red and green. Then it completely darkened and began shimmering. Sometimes the sun emitted a clean, bright light, then it would darken again."

Mr Tunney's wife, Nina, said: "The sun was spinning in the sky. I experienced a feeling of total happiness. It is a feeling I would love to experience again. It was amazing. I felt marvellous."

Yvonne Rabbitte, from Dunmore, Co Galway, showed other pilgrims a photograph she had taken on her digital camera which showed vivid rays radiating downwards from the sun at the time the image was taken.

Maggie Ahern, from Castlebar, had no doubt that the happenings in Knock were due to "heavenly intervention".

Earlier in the week Dublin-based clairvoyant Joe Coleman predicted Our Lady would appear at the old parish church – scene of the 1879 apparition – at 3pm. Quite a number of those present were members of the Travelling community.

The crowds waited in the open air despite an invitation on loudspeaker at about 2.30pm from Knock parish priest Msgr Joseph Quinn that those in the grounds enter the adjacent Basilica to participate in ceremonies to mark the annual Dominican pilgrimage.

Msgr Quinn was not available for comment last night.

longrunsthefox · October 12, 2009, 07:19:26 PM

I heard about this. I spoke to a man who was there swears all this hapened and there were thousands of witnesses. he is a sensible fellow... so, it is hard to know what to make of it.

J70 · October 12, 2009, 07:23:41 PM

Let's examine the choices:

A. a bunch of wishful-thinking morons stare at the sun and see things
B. the sun actually starts flashing and dancing in the sky, undetectable to half the people there or a single soul anywhere else on the planet

The Real Laoislad · October 12, 2009, 07:27:19 PM

Quote from: J70 on October 12, 2009, 07:23:41 PM
Let's examine the choices:

A. a bunch of wishful-thinking morons stare at the sun and see things
B. the sun actually starts flashing and dancing in the sky, undetectable to half the people there or a single soul anywhere else on the planet

Why are they morons?

Lawrence of Knockbride · October 12, 2009, 07:29:29 PM

Quote from: The Real Laoislad on October 12, 2009, 07:27:19 PM
Quote from: J70 on October 12, 2009, 07:23:41 PM
Let's examine the choices:

A. a bunch of wishful-thinking morons stare at the sun and see things
B. the sun actually starts flashing and dancing in the sky, undetectable to half the people there or a single soul anywhere else on the planet

Why are they morons?
Yeah bit harsh calling them morons. They're many things but that's unnecessary. Very funny though.

ziggysego · October 12, 2009, 07:30:05 PM

You shouldn't be so quick to dismiss what people believe it. I've seen enough strange and unexplainable things, in my relevantly short amount of time on this planet to be prepared to give them the benefit of the doubt.

longrunsthefox · October 12, 2009, 07:30:21 PM

The fellow who told me is no moran but is very prone to 'spiritual' experiences, maybe more open to them. Bit of a non-believer in that sort of occurance myself but I would say he really saw that as he wouldnt make it up.

J70 · October 12, 2009, 07:34:32 PM

Quote from: The Real Laoislad on October 12, 2009, 07:27:19 PM
Quote from: J70 on October 12, 2009, 07:23:41 PM
Let's examine the choices:

A. a bunch of wishful-thinking morons stare at the sun and see things
B. the sun actually starts flashing and dancing in the sky, undetectable to half the people there or a single soul anywhere else on the planet

Why are they morons?

Oh, I don't know...

Would you be so indignant if I called some American redneck who swore he was abducted by aliens for sex experiments or saw Bigfoot out in the woods a moron?

J70 · October 12, 2009, 07:35:58 PM

Quote from: ziggysego on October 12, 2009, 07:30:05 PM
You shouldn't be so quick to dismiss what people believe it. I've seen enough strange and unexplainable things, in my relevantly short amount of time on this planet to be prepared to give them the benefit of the doubt.

Why should they get the benefit of the doubt?

How about the lads who saw the virgin mary in the tree stump in Rathkeale?

Gnevin · October 12, 2009, 07:44:48 PM

Dear God,
Thanks for making the sun dance in some back water in Ireland . However I was unaware you'd be doing such a thing. If it's not too much bother and it would appear to me to be easier could you please sent us all a message via a clear and unambiguous manner . Perhaps via this thing we invented called TV

Yours
Gnevin

DennistheMenace · October 12, 2009, 07:45:27 PM

Eejits the lot of them.

new devil · October 12, 2009, 07:47:10 PM

Quote from: ziggysego on October 12, 2009, 07:30:05 PM
You shouldn't be so quick to dismiss what people believe it. I've seen enough strange and unexplainable things, in my relevantly short amount of time on this planet to be prepared to give them the benefit of the doubt.

Like what ziggy?

DennistheMenace · October 12, 2009, 07:48:01 PM

Bet he was with a woman with a penis. Straaaaange.

SLIGONIAN · October 12, 2009, 07:51:59 PM

There was a similar story in Donegal last week.

The thing I dont understand both sightings were predicted by a clairvoyant, and yet no one who went brought a camera or anything?

If I was told that something like that was going to happen, Id bring my camera to video it... i find that really strange that no one did?

DrinkingHarp · October 12, 2009, 07:55:08 PM

I witnessed the sun go all different colours, yellow, red and green. Then it completely darkened and began shimmering. Sometimes the sun emitted a clean, bright light, then it would darken again."

It wouldn't happen to have anything to due with light being reflected through the water particles in the clouds causing a prism effect with the light wave lenghts of red orange yellow and green (ROYGBIV) being easiest to see with the human eye?