| There is an international airport in the tiny village of | | | | visited the site to celebrate the centenary of the |
| Knock, Co. Mayo in Ireland, surely it is one of the | | | | apparitions. Mother Teresa also made a pilgrimage to |
| tiniest villages in the world to have one. Why is it | | | | Knock in 1993. The place where the apparition |
| there? It all began on a wet evening in August 1879, | | | | appeared is covered now to form a chapel and there |
| when two women, Mary McLoughlin and Mary Beirne | | | | is a modern basilica beside it to house a shrine to Our |
| were passing the parish church and the Virgin Mary | | | | Lady. All along the main street of Knock there are |
| appeared to them, flanked by St. Joseph and St. | | | | outlets where you can purchase a spectacular array |
| John the Evangelist. They remained, becoming all the | | | | of religious paraphernalia. Monsignor James Horan was |
| more illuminated and were joined by a number of | | | | the driving force behind the development of an |
| hovering angles, a crowd of around fifteen people | | | | international airport at Knock. He was mocked at first |
| gathered in awe of the apparition. The visions lasted | | | | but he successfully lobbied for investment and |
| for two hours and were witnessed by fifteen people. | | | | funding was proved by the then Taoiseach (Irish |
| The Vatican investigated the visions and verified that | | | | Prime Minister) Charles J. Haughey, who performed |
| they were indeed authentic and the site became a | | | | the official opening in May 1986. |
| recognised Marian shrine. In 1979, Pope John Paul II | | | | |