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AHEAD OF POPE Francis’ visit to Ireland later this month many people have been reminiscing about the last time a Pope visited Ireland.
John Paul II visited Ireland from Saturday 29 September to Monday 1 October 1979 – the first time a pontiff had been here. About 1.25 million people attended Mass in Dublin’s Phoenix Park on 29 September.
John Paul II visited more parts of the country than Francis plans to – with over 2.5 million people attending events in Dublin, Drogheda, Clonmacnoise, Galway, Knock, Limerick and Maynooth.
Homes all over the country displayed, or still display, ornaments or images marking the historic visit.
A number of readers have been in touch with us, recalling their own memories, or those of their relatives, of the 1979 visit.
Camping outside the Phoenix Park
Emer Desay’s mother wasn’t taking any chances to make sure she got into the Phoenix Park bright and early on the day of the Papal Mass – sleeping outside the gates the night before.
“After camping outside the Phoenix Park gates overnight she brought in her sleeping bag and set up camp for his arrival,” Emer told us.
Her mother also took photos of the crowds of people waiting to board a train to the Mass. Her bus ticket is also pictured below.
Skipping the queue
Peter Hegarty said he and his family got to skip the queue in the car parking line at the Phoenix Park because their car was full of Pope-related items.
Peter won 250,000 stickers from the company he worked for, which he in turn sold to a friend.
“The friend who bought them thought it a money-making idea to sell them at a £1 each,” he recalled. This idea didn’t pan out and the stickers ended up “lying in a warehouse”.
Instead, Peter’s family handed out some of the stickers as mementos of the visit. He was 34 at the time and attended the Mass with his wife Patricia and two children, Caron and Paul.
“My family took a few thousand and gave them out at the [Phoenix] Park,” Peter said.
“I chanced my arm and drove with the family to the entrance of the park.
“Because we had paraphernalia relating to the Pope in the car, my family and I were allowed skip the car parking line and drive into the Phoenix Park right up to the dignitaries’ car park and get a classic view of the whole affair,” he said.
Sitting in the Popemobile
Michael Murphy sent us this great shot of his mother, grandmother and uncle sitting inside the Popemobile.
“My uncle was a Leyland truck dealer at the time and Leyland supplied the Pope’s transport,” Michael explained.
Anne Marie Nally saw John Paul II in Galway. She was 18 at the time and went with her parents and siblings.
“I remember people being very patient and happy. I remember the Pope passing near us in his popemobile,” she recalled.
It was a youth Mass and Anne Marie said she particularly remembers singing two hymns with the lyrics: ‘He said freely, freely, you shall receive’ and ‘How lovely on the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, good news’.
“When I went back to college a couple of days later after the summer break I learned that many of my fellow students also had seen the Pope.
“I do remember the country coming to a standstill for three days while he visited. It was lovely,” she said.
Tony Whelan was at the same Mass and had “an unscheduled meeting with the Pope”.
To this day I’m still often referred to as the ‘guy who met the Pope’ and with the upcoming visit am constantly being reminded again and get a slagging, ‘I suppose you’ll be off to see the Pope again!’
“As of now I’m not going this time but that may change,” Tony said.
Following in his father’s footsteps
Dave Rooney’s father Noel was a driver with Irish Rail when John Paul II visited. Sadly Noel passed away two years ago but Dave and his mother recently found the original train timetables and instructions for the visit.
Dave also works in public transport and will be involved in Pope Francis’ visit.
“Like my Dad I work in public transport and will be involved in this year’s visit. It’s great to be able to look back at these documents,” he said.
Singing at Ballybrit
Michael McLoughlin sang with the youth choir at the Mass at Ballybrit Racecourse, Galway.
“I got to sing a solo along with a soprano, Anna Caleb. That’s us in the photo on the day. I was 22 years old at the time.
“The second photo is my security pass. Because I was in the choir I was beside the main altar for the entire ceremony,” he recalled.
Margaret Flanagan was just three weeks old with John Paul II visited.
Her family has the below souvenir to mark the occasion – it notes that John Paul’s visit was during the centenary year of the apparition at Knock shrine in Co Mayo.
‘Young people of Ireland, I love you’
Maeve Kerrigan recalls seeing the pope in Galway as a teenager, and her parents and sibling saw him in Dublin.
Her father Hugh O’Connor (84) was a stewart at the Papal Mass at the Phoenix Park.
“The call for stewarts to assist at the Papal Mass was announced at local masses in Palmerstown church … Dad signed up straight away,” Maeve said.
“On the day itself he and the rest of the Palmerstown contingent of volunteers set out at the crack of dawn, approximately 4am, to walk from Palmerstown to the Ashtown Gate entrance to the park (it took them just under two hours).
“He was supplied with a cap and sash in the Papal colours of white and yellow, and a lunch box and drink.
“Dad remembers that when people started to arrive that everyone was in great spirits and particularly remembers all the different styles of deck chairs and foldable chairs of all kinds.”
Maeve said that her father had “a closer view than most” as the Popemobile passed by.
He recalls that the Popemobile moved slowly enough around each corral, with the Pope blessing people as he passed, and an amazing sense of the power and larger than life aspect of the man himself.
Maeve said her mother and four of her siblings also attended the Mass.
She was 15 at the time and, as she was due to go to Galway to see the Pope the following day with a local youth club, stayed at home to mind her two youngest siblings, who were aged four and five.
Because of our location in Mill Lane in the Liffey Valley and, as the crow flies, the Phoenix Park is not that far away, we did hear quite a bit of day travel across to us, particularly with the arrival of the pope in the helicopter.
“In fact we actually saw that fly over, and heard the cheers that accompanied that arrival. My sister who was only four at the time remembers those cheers distinctly.
“Although not part of the youth club in Palmerstown I travelled the next day to Galway. I didn’t know anybody and my recollection of the train journey down was of teenagers being teenagers, and not really being there for anything other than getting to hang out with friends.
However, I was proved wrong in some of ways when it came to the event itself and when the Pope uttered the immortal ‘Young people of Ireland, I love you’ there was a real sense of feeling special in that moment.
Maeve sent us photos of one of the earthenware bowls used to distribute communion to the congregation at the Phoenix Park.
“It was passed on to my family after the event by a deacon who was one of the
many on the day who took part in the celebration of the Mass,” she told us.
Bridie Farrell sent us a photo of a label used to indicate the assigned area for people from Kilmore diocese during the Pope’s visit to Drogheda.
A photo sent to us by reader Karen Murtagh shows the front page of the Evening Press on 1 October 1979.
Its main headlines states, ‘Don’t Allow Divorce – Pope’ – referencing a comment made by John Paul II to an estimated crowd of 400,000 people in Limerick. The newspaper also mentions his comments on abortion – something he called “an abominable crime”.
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Party based voting is a perversion of the democratic process. It should be illegal to force a TD to vote a certain way. They are supposed to represent their constituents views.
They are elected on a party platform as opposed to their own views. Therefore its reasonable to assume that most people voting for them are also voting on the party platform. It would then be wrong for them to suddenly decide that they don’t want to represent that platform. If that’s what they want they should go as an independent before the electorate.
There’s nothing wrong with party based voting, per se. It’s party based speaking time in the Dáil that’s the problem. The smaller your party, the less time you have to speak. If you’re an independent, you’re screwed unless you put together a technical group.
Is the catholic church or the government running this country ?
Or in other words ‘Is the catholic church or the government RUINING this country?
We have no idea how much the catholic church runs the government. Any politician that is catholic could face excommunication on these matters. Thats the gun being held to their head.Do we really want to live in a state run by an organisation without credibilty. This is a fight to the death for the catholic church. They see their power slipping away.
Since all the Sunday collections have nearly stopped the Fs (FG/FF) have directed larger amounts of tax payers money into church controlled charities (Ruhama, Immigrants Council of Ireland…).
Those charities in turn use their citizen paid PR departments to push church policy from an ‘independent’ advocacy position. The local TD gets to cut the ribbon at the next charity event, they get elected for ‘doing good for the community’ (non-church groups don’t have a chance) with the aid of the few votes the church can muster.
The whip ensures that there is no free vote and the church/government policy/finance/vote loop is closed.
There should be no obfuscation or waffling on this matter. We need to legislate with safeguards for all. Its a disgrace that we have, after all this time, exported our problems abroad as if it never happens. Typically Irish solution to an Irish problem, stick our heads in the sand and hope it goes away. We need “Savita” legislation now.
We need to legislate with safeguards for all…………………what in all that’s holy could this mean?
Meanwhile over 4,000 women still travel to the UK, it’s really time we face the reality instead of continuing to stick our heads in a sandbox
Another insult to our intelligence by the masters, Fine Gael. They haven’t the nerve to vote as a party on the matter after Savitas death,so are hoping to weasel around it with a free vote.
Don’t believe me? Where was Shatter calling for a free vote back in April on the same matter?
“an insult to our intelligence”…….mmmmmmm?
Has the Dáil ever had a free vote recently, it must be one of the world’s most whipped parliaments.
Any TD who votes no is blocking the democratic will of the people. No TD should even countenance voting no.
In terms of abortion in general, I don’t think parties should have policies other than a commitment to hold referenda or not. That said, every candidate should state the way they would vote on such matters before the election.
Dame Edna has said NO.
A free vote for all TDs is essential. Otherwise we will have a dictatorship headed by Dictator Enda!
Some say that the Supreme Court decision on the X case is probably incorrect and unconstitutional. If true why has the Expert Committee of Advisers not recommended a review of the X case before recommending legislation.FG gave a or election commitment that it would NOT legislate for abortion.It is now doing so. FG has adopted the policies of the Labour Party on abortion. If the government do not reassess its position FG will be wiped out at the next election. Remember the VAT on children’s shoes! Sad!
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