Day 2
Up the West Coast - Reagan
The hotel's lack of working wake up calls left us scrambling, but we were off on our way to Knock to see the shrine. After a Mass where Mike assisted on the altar and a quick lunch were on to Sligo and Yeats' grave. Seeing his grave isn't that exciting, but the scenery is beautiful and the churchyard is old and mossy - just what you'd expect. Ben Bulben, the "table top mountain" rises on the horizon, and it's easy to see why it inspired Yeats. Donegal town is where we spent the night, and after dinner we went to listen to a surprisingly good Irish musician.
Knock - Mike
The small town of Knock became famous with the apparition of Mary on August 21, 1879. This was witnessed by fifteen people, all who reported the same thing. Some say it was a miracle; others say it was a bunch of drunks. Seriously, it was an honor to assist at Mass at the shrine. I had the opportunity to do that in 2001 and this time my family got to witness it as well. The Mass was year end Mass for a Girls' school. Fr. Mark was gracious enough to allow me to participate. I wonder if my accent made it hard for them to understand the Gospel I read?