This day 42 years ago – 29 September 1979 – Pope John Paul II landed at Dublin Airport for a three-day visit to Ireland.
Later, he celebrated Mass in Phoenix Park. Approximately 1.25 million people were in attendance, at a time when fewer than five million lived on the island. pic.twitter.com/WOVaEKN6vn
— This Day in Irish History (@ThisDayIrish) September 29, 2021
1.25 million.
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me granny bought the album and everything. who could forget the classic hit: ‘hyong pipil hof higherland – high loff hyoo’
We made a killing selling Pope Scopes
I remember when he came he went to Maynooth. So we were all loaded up into the car and driven up. But the parking was miles away. We later reckoned we could have walked from home just as fast :-)
Our TV was down, so my eldest brother was put to work frantically fixing an ancient valve one, in black and white, so we could watch the Galway Mass, and masses. The old whiskers on top of the set were finicky, and if anyone moved, the picture was lost. If anyone was in a position to take a photo, we were like a Victorian era set piece on a couch.
My Mum got a tiny bit of the carpet apparently was used on the stage for the mass.
The Pope said he was down on his knees
To deliver his own heart-felt pleas.
I was outside his range
But he said something strange
Like; ‘I bless all the makers of cheese’?
.
Heheheheh
Outstanding work. Take the rest of the day off and hit the showers. You’ve earned it
And for those standing near the Aqueduct
from that he said we could deduct:
He said that for all eternally
it’s not to be taken literally,
“it refers to manufacturers of any dairy product”
I remember Vatican flags hung up in the small town I’m from to be replaced not too long afterwards by the black flags of the hunger strike.
Random thought.
biggest attendance in ireland ever until 2017 when 1.7 million attended the new popes concert in the phoenix park.
I don’t often think of that visit, but whenever I do I can’t get the image of the two chancers, Casey and Cleary out of my mind.
…wasn’t it Phoenix magazine that had the caption of them singing ‘there ain’t nothing like a dame’…
I’ll never forget that day. My mother left the immersion on, and we all lived in terror of the house exploding.
Then we had crisp sandwiches and fought over which brand of tea was superior. Good times eh Tubbers??
haha
Population of Ireland was 3.4m in 1979
North and Republic?
My parents went to see him in Knock. Had to park in Kilkelly and walk the 10k from there. They brought stools with them to sit on and for ever after the stools were always known as the “Pope’s stools”. Whenever visitors called, we had to take out the Pope’s Stools for us all to sit.
Good times.
LOL
We had “pope stools” too. green and white stripes they had.
I’d say most every house in Ireland had them!
here was me thinking you were a prod Cian
LOL – why so?
some of my best friends are Prods (well CoI)
I dunno the cut of your jib :)
I made a Pope stool this morning.
A right pain in the ar*e.
I feel left out, not a mention in our house
Weren’t you blessed.
Oh wait…
Damned if you do, damned if you don’t
Hahahaha!
You really are having an excellent day, Cian.
Ta Millie, going back to my roots and the auld banter on BS like we used to.
that’s what I’m still hanging in for
although I do believe it’s important all and every view point has a place to exist, there needs to be balance