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MOVING STATUES – THE SUMMER OF 1985

Moving Statues - The Summer of 1985 Image Name: Moving Statues - The Summer of 1985 Description: Moving Statues - The Summer of 1985 Monday April 15th RTÉ One Patricia McGuinness, Mary McGuinness and Colleen McGuinness - Sligo Copyright: RTÉ 2019
Moving Statues - The Summer of 1985 Image Name: Moving Statues - The Summer of 1985 Description: Moving Statues - The Summer of 1985 Monday April 15th RTÉ One John Miller from Monastervin
Moving Statues - The Summer of 1985 Image Name: Moving Statues - The Summer of 1985 Description: Moving Statues - The Summer of 1985 Monday April 15th RTÉ One Dr Jurek Kirakowski Department Psychology UCC Copyright: RTÉ 2019

Moving Statues – The Summer of 1985

In 1985, Ireland was gripped by moving statues from Ballinspittle to Stradbally hundreds of thousands of people gathered at grottos in the belief that they would witness statues physically move before their very eyes. There were also claims of spoken messages and apparitions of The Blessed Virgin Mary.

In a time when church attendances were beginning to fall the Bishops were left with a dilemma, on the one hand, people were coming together to pray on the other the church couldn’t be seen to support superstition.

Thousands of people across Ireland were in no doubt that while praying to statues they witnessed miracles, from Padre Pio and Jesus Christ to God the Father people saw different things and it became the national conversation.

This phenomenon was reported in over 30 locations across the country and lasted till September that year when suddenly the crowds died away and statues stopped moving.

This programme features sightings in Monasterevin, Sligo, Stradbally, and Ballinspittle and meets with the people who believe they saw statues move and asks do they still believe in what they saw.