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Donegal grotto statue 'took on human form'

Friday, 2 October 2009

Visitors at the Kerrytown Shrine near Dungloe, Co. Donegal yesterday.

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Visitors to a remote grotto have claimed a statue wept and crosses appeared and disappeared in the night sky this week.

A group of 14 people, who had gathered at the statue of the Virgin Mary, in a rocky outcrop near the town of Dungloe, Co Donegal, on Tuesday night, were transfixed as they watched the phenomenon, which they said lasted almost an hour.

"It was a crazy evening. It was absolutely amazing. I am still on an emotional high. All but one person seemed to see the same thing," recalled James Boyle, from Ardara, who was at the site with his wife Margaret and children, Martin (10) and Mary (11).

The Kerrytown shrine is visited by thousands of pilgrims annually, after first becoming the subject of a religious apparition 70 years ago.

James explained how the group had been drawn there last Tuesday night because of a claim by Ballyfermot-based faith healer Joe Coleman that the Virgin Mary had told him in a channelled message that she would appear at the shrine on September 29 at 8pm.

"We went into the shelter facing the rock and at a few minutes to eight someone suggested we should start the rosary. We had no sooner started than someone shouted 'look up'.

"To the left of the cross, another cross appeared in the sky and as soon as it disappeared, another one appeared. It lasted about 10 minutes," he explained.

Then people began noticing that the white statue with its red heart had begun changing colour and form.

"She appeared to have a human face and her head turned and she looked at people. She looked down at the children who were at the front," he said.

One woman explained how the statue began crying and she went up to dry the tears.

"The tears were running down from her eyes," she told Highland Radio.

Speaking to the Irish Independent from his Dublin home, Mr Coleman said that the Virgin Mary, who has been appearing to him for many years, had communicated to him that she would make herself known at Kerrytown on September 29.

He had passed on the details of that message to a small group of people who attended a healing service organised by him in Dungloe last June.

He added that a lot of priests in Co Donegal did not believe he was doing his healing work for the love of God.

Dungloe parish priest, Father Seamus Meehan, said last night that there had been talk about the Kerrytown grotto for years.

"But I would be kind of sceptical about it myself," he added.

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57 Comments

The churches have always kept the secrets and played down anything and everyone other than 'who and what' they want to recognize. They've lied through time, about what was said at the visitation. This is true, as I looked up everything in the bible, that the church published she said. It was just more of scripture. I don't believe that Mary would bother with scripture when it can be read on our own. NO, she's here for a purpose to tell us who we are and where we come from.

Posted by timeless | 16.11.09, 18:20 GMT

Why is it that the church and its priests seem to always doubt, want to play down these visitations and other miraculous occurrences? The Blessed Mother appeared to my aunt many years ago and her parish priests warned her not to speak of it. This hesitation and negation by the Church worrry me. When many see something and their stories coincide, that should account for much, I would think.

Posted by Sissy Tester | 01.11.09, 19:51 GMT

Nothing is impossible. I have been blessed with having been able to see my father the night before he died, 1200 miles away. I don't often tell people about it because they just don't believe anything they haven't "seen". I could not have taken a picture of my father any more than those seeing what they saw could have. It is sufficeint for me to know that there is more than than what we normally can 'see' with our eyes. After all, remember, when Mary Magelene saw Jesus approaching her from outside the burial cave she asked him if he was a gardener before she recognized him. Then, she asked him how it was that she could "see" him - could she see him because of the spirit or the sould and he told her it was through her mind. This is where we can all 'see' that which is normally not visible.

Posted by Marian | 01.11.09, 19:12 GMT

I was at the rock on 13th September 2007, (the first apparition to Mr Coleman), I am not an over religeous person although I do beleive that there are things that we mere mortals cannot even begin to understand, yet, events like this could be the start of this process, think about it, Why would a bunch of comparative strangers gather together in a remote part of Donegal and then conspire to tell lies to the whole world about what transpired. Once upon a time we beleived the world was flat, so, tread lightly, one wee pondery, the most powerful computer in the world cannot design many multi million billion trillion bazillion different designs for a simple thing like a snowflake, but nature (the unseen force, power) does this every day, I have been back to Kerrytown a few times since and have just enjoyed the quietness and peace of the place, Take care and may your God go with you, Terry McCafferty, 00447780754792

Posted by Terry McCafferty | 17.10.09, 02:02 GMT

you either belive or dont ,i belive them, was in medjugore and seen things myself and the last thing on my mind was pulling out the camra..o yeah there is mary hold on there mary to i get the phone out and record you..thas not realy what would be going through your mind now if you were in there shoes

Posted by angela | 06.10.09, 16:36 GMT

I think Andrea B's comment is considerably more absurd than these people. Whether they saw it or not, you comment is pricelessly ignorant

Posted by andy | 05.10.09, 18:21 GMT

Absoultely classic, one of the funniest things ive' seen in ages! It's strikingly similar to a Brass Eye episode where locals in an Irish village claim to have seen a statue of the virgin Mary driving a Ford Escort through their fields!! Here's the link to it, skip forward to 2:00 to see the case in point and draw your own conclusions. Highly amusing :-))

Posted by choburen | 05.10.09, 14:18 GMT

Posted by Choburen | 05.10.09, 14:12 GMT

That just sounds creepy

Posted by Elmo | 04.10.09, 15:25 GMT

Ever SEEN the miracle of the sun at Medjugorje? u can watch t o probs check website or youtube
You either know this to be true or you choose not to listen to your heart.

Posted by Saranne | 04.10.09, 15:12 GMT

Thanks Belfast Telegraph, Best laugh i've had all day.

Posted by Sean | 04.10.09, 14:50 GMT

Phissh...

Bunch of eejits

Posted by Chris | 04.10.09, 14:49 GMT

We cannot ratify what you or I dream nor can we feel each others pain and generally we dont dismiss the possibility of either. Maybe -- just maybe there is something to this report.

Posted by Joe | 04.10.09, 12:11 GMT

A simple question. Where is the mobile phone video footage, of this event?

It is obvious that these people are either con artists or insane and should be examined by psychiatrists in a secure mental institution.

The sooner the mental illness of religeon is stamped out, the better.

Posted by Andrea B | 04.10.09, 08:43 GMT

The faithful don't need to record their miracles on a camera or mobile....they don't need to convince you or I, they only need to be convinced themselves. It doesn't take much..look at the list of beings and entities that are supposed to stalk abroad and are 'seen' by people: pwca, banshees, kelpie, fairies, elves, gnomes, leprechauns, vampires, werewolves, zombies,ghosts, orbs, vortex, demons, chupacabra, dinosaurs, pterosaurs, mammoth, plesiosaur, giant sea serpents, mermaids, various species of aliens (greys, nordics, reptilians and so on), time travellers, shapeshifters, shadow people...the list goes on and on (as every country and culture has their own particular suipernatural lore).There's omly one word for it: TOSH.

Posted by dODGY | 03.10.09, 18:06 GMT

wow mary cries tears really. what is wrong with the 14 people?i find it hard to believe. and not one picture or video to prove it.and even when they were warned in advance to be there for 8pm on that day.am sure if the pope appeared or arranged to be there through a faith healer they would have had photos. and then we have flashing crosses. not even when i was 16 and trying those magic mushrooms out would i even make up a story like that.am sorry to say but i think they are all mad and yes i do believe in god .but mad as a hatter this story.

Posted by norman connor | 03.10.09, 16:08 GMT

My mum lives very closeby to Kerrytown and has never saw Our Lady there. She is a very holy person too and visits often. I have been there myself and it is a lovely peaceful place. I would like to believe but would only believe if I saw with my own eyes. I agree with everyone else why didn't anyone try to take a pic or video on their mobile phone. Someone must have had one?? Maybe Joe Coleman or an accomplice was in the bushes and set it all up ?

Posted by maryglasgow | 03.10.09, 15:28 GMT

If the letters pages of the Belfast Telegraph is anything to go by, the 14 other people in this country, skeptical of this sort of lark have beaten me to this page...

Posted by MacCathmhaoil | 03.10.09, 14:23 GMT

I guess I have a different perspective as an outside observer from the United States. Thousands of people around the world claim to have seen visions every day. Very few of these claims ever get reported in a major newspaper.
I wonder if the Telegraph isn't perpetuating a recurring theme in its pages, to wit: The people of the Republic are different from us; they are the "other", so to speak.

Posted by Paul Cooney | 03.10.09, 04:02 GMT