An ancient place of pilgrimage the visit of Pope John Paul II to Clonmacnoise boosted visitor numbers to the monastic site.
The ecclesiastical site at Clonmacnoise in County Offaly was founded in the mid-6th century by Saint Ciaran. The site is a preserved ruin with three high crosses, a cathedral, seven churches, and two round towers.
Pope John Paul II visited the monastic site at Clonmacnoise during his visit to Ireland in 1979. More than 20,000 people from the midlands were there, including Carmel O'Brien from Moate, in County Westmeath. Some 26 years later, she recalls her encounter with the Pontiff. He beckoned her to his helicopter seconds before taking off from Clonmacnoise. She received a blessing, and the Pope kissed the cross she was wearing.
Nuala Lowry of the Clonmacnoise Visitor Centre remembers the sound of the Pope's helicopter arriving,
It was just so exhilarating.
With the death of Pope John Paul II on 2 April 2005, Bishop of Ardagh and Clonmacnoise Dr Colm O'Reilly reflects on the impact the 1979 visit had on tourist numbers to Clonmacnoise. The 160,000 people who now visit the centre every year are walking in the footsteps of the Pontiff.
It was a place of pilgrimage already, of course.
The Diocese of Ardagh and Clonmacnoise will mark the funeral of Pope John Paul II on 8 April 2005 with a special mass at St Mel’s Cathedral in County Longford.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 5 April 2005. The reporter is Ciaran Mullooly.
