Knock annual novena attracts 100,000

More than 100,000 people attended ceremonies at Knock Shrine in Co Mayo over the nine days of the annual national novena, which…

More than 100,000 people attended ceremonies at Knock Shrine in Co Mayo over the nine days of the annual national novena, which ended last night.

Knock parish priest MsgrJoseph Quinn described the event as "wonderful, assisted by a great spell of weather. There's been a huge turnout, as ever, over the past nine days.

"In excess of 100,000 pilgrims have been in attendance and every guesthouse in the region is full as a result.

"There's a great buzz around the village. The fine weather was great in allowing us to have the night procession outdoors each evening.

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"August is always the busiest pilgrimage season at Knock and this year is no exception. We've had a great range of speakers over the nine days and there's been a great response," he said.

Knock is one of the country's biggest tourist attractions, with one and a half million visitors annually.