In 1879, fifteen people in the small Irish village of Knock, County Mayo bore witness to an apparition of the Virgin Mary. The village was declared a Marian Shrine and today welcomes more than one million pilgrims annually. The film builds a vibrant portrait of the phenomenon through its devotees- invalids seeking cures; the eight sibling owners of rival religious merchandise shops; a woman relieved of multiple sclerosis during a 1970s pilgrimage; feisty Mildred, advocate for gender parity for the shrine’s handmaids; the staff of the Knock Marriage Bureau and Fr Richard Gibbons, charismatic, outward-looking Parish Priest, on a mission to entice new transatlantic visitors via Knock Airport. With its references to “the scandals”, falling church attendances and the eighth amendment (abortion), the film presents a timely reflection on the position of the Church in modern Ireland. For the faithful it celebrates a beacon of spiritual hope; for sceptics it opens an enticing window on an … Written by Sunniva O’Flynn
