Ballinspittle

Dudess

Bambi wrote: »

I was only a kid back then but as far as I remember these moving stautes hid the kerry babies in don tideys house while he was having a nap.

I think shergar was mixed up in it all too

Yeah and they were all watching the signing of the Anglo Irish Agreement...

marty1985

The-Rigger wrote: »

I'm told a sign was hung on the statue of Mary where I lived that read 'Out Of Order'.

She wasn't out of order, the church was out of order, the whole freaking system was out of order.

Rant over.

Ghost Estate

marty1985 wrote: »

Anyone know what the local area is like now? And do the locals ever see her moving any more?.

a few years ago anyway they did. the novelty must be worn off by now so the locals don't notice it anymore.

like i said, they should start spitting at passers by instead if they want to get noticed again. at least then Ballinspittle would be called that for a reason

Debthree

It's just what you do when you buy a chipper van. Par for the course.
- Buy van.
- Install fryers and ventilation.
- Put out rumour that yer wan with the blue veil is shaking her booty and lo and behold you've got enough business for 5 summers.

Son Of A Vidic

I remember the hype surrounding it, these things always seem to happen during the depths of a recession. So we are surely overdue another one at this stage.

Orando Broom

Up de Barrs wrote: »

Apparently at the height of the excitement about it there could be anything up to 10,000 people in the field opposite waiting for some movement by the statue. The burger vans did a roaring trade. A throwback to a time when religion really did hold sway over the country, I cant imagine we will ever see the like of it again, no harm either.

Erm, Knock Last year, people actually blinded themselves staring at the sun.

Cú Giobach

Went there at the hight of the hype and there were hundreds of people around.
Burger vans everywhere and the pubs jammed, great craic. It really lifted the spirit of the place during a very hard time for this part of the country.

The village still gets a lot of visitors coming to see the statue.

RichieC

marty1985 wrote: »

Just wondering what you guys think of the moving statue stories from Ballinspittle 25 years ago.

I heard a radio documentary about it, and it just seems to be strange to me, because - although I don't believe any of it - Ballinspittle didn't really gain much from it. If it was all a sham, or a fraud, or a sham and a fraud, why didn't they try to turn it into some sort of pilgramage place and sell a few bottles of holy water? Or does anyone know if they did make any money out of it? Donations?

I think it's more likely to have been some kind of mass hysteria, people convincing themselves that they saw something.

Anyone here ever been there? Anyone ever had a statue of the Blessed Virgin wave at them?

Its an embarrassment to the nation that we should all try to forget.

billymitchell

This is what I think of it
http://www.southparkstudios.co.uk/clips/sp_vid_155166/

mariaf24

I remember a documentary about Ballinspittle about a year ago.I don't think the witnesses were lying.
There was a local garda who said he witnessed the statue moving, he became a laughing stock and almost lost his job yet he stood by what he saw.

There are many explanations for moving statue phenomenons. I remember a Psychology lecturer from UCC on the programme and i have read much of his work.
If you 'stare' long enough at a still object it can move and even change colour. Also there is the power of persuasion (Others around you convincing it's moving)
So i definitely don't believe people have lied but rather are mis led.

Is anyone familiar with Mt. Mellery in Co. Waterford? There has been alot more reported there (again 1980's)

Canis Lupus

Was watching that Wogan show and on one of the clips you clearly hear someone say something like "yeah there, it moved just there" and then someone agreeing and it no more moved than any other statue can move.

People are tards is all.

Funkfield

Dravokivich wrote: »

Sorry man... my memory is shot to pieces... just short of tattooing vital information onto me body.

:pac:

Man, that reminds me of a movie I saw! It was about this guy who had a really bad memory. And he had to tattoo all this information on his body. And if he didn't tattoo all the information on his body he would forget what he was doing. I think it was called "The Bus That Couldn't Slow Down".

jimthemental

I went past the statue about a year ago, stopped into a petrol station then and got a newspaper. True story.

marty1985

mariaf24 wrote: »

I remember a documentary about Ballinspittle about a year ago.I don't think the witnesses were lying.
There was a local garda who said he witnessed the statue moving, he became a laughing stock and almost lost his job yet he stood by what he saw.

There are many explanations for moving statue phenomenons. I remember a Psychology lecturer from UCC on the programme and i have read much of his work.
If you 'stare' long enough at a still object it can move and even change colour. Also there is the power of persuasion (Others around you convincing it's moving)
So i definitely don't believe people have lied but rather are mis led.

Is anyone familiar with Mt. Mellery in Co. Waterford? There has been alot more reported there (again 1980's)

This is what I wanted to say, but my brain wouldn't... what's the word...

mariaf24

marty1985 wrote: »

This is what I wanted to say, but my brain wouldn't... what's the word...

BIRD is the word :pac:

mariaf24

Local witnesses from Ballinspittle on the news: 'Ya i seen em, that is to say i saw them'
Other local: 'Yeah i saw them, that is to say i seen em'...

snickerpuss

There's a pub in Ballinspittle that does the best steak sambo EVER. I rented a house nearby one summer. I've often thought of going back. For steak. Sorry Jesus.

Cú Giobach

snickerpuss wrote: »

There's a pub in Ballinspittle that does the best steak sambo EVER. I rented a house nearby one summer. I've often thought of going back. For steak. Sorry Jesus.

Don't bother with a dinner there though. Not the best.

marty1985

snickerpuss wrote: »

There's a pub in Ballinspittle that does the best steak sambo EVER. I rented a house nearby one summer. I've often thought of going back. For steak. Sorry Jesus.

He says not to worry, and he'll see you in six months.

dolphin city

its a well known fact that poltergeists and moving statues only come out to play when there is a recession on.
You do the math.

dolphin city

elviscostello wrote: »

Think I may have been at it years ago with the parents. They certainly didn't make a fortune like yer wan out on Achill Island. Don't know who is worse, the people that make money out of that stuff, or the clowns that part with their cash.

LOL or the eejits that burn the retina's out of their eyes cause someone tells them the sun is dancing. :D:D

dolphin city

The-Rigger wrote: »

I'm told a sign was hung on the statue of Mary where I lived that read 'Out Of Order'.

at our school at the time, two of the lads took the statue out of the grotto, and replaced it with the note "gone to lunch, back shortly" :D

marty1985

Most of these grottos sprung up in 1954, which was a year of Marian devotion called for by the Pope at the time, which is also why the angelus started on TV. It was originally supposed to be just for that year. And I heard - somewhere on this site - that there is an organisation trying to restore all the grottos around the country and build new ones, so maybe she'll be back out in force, and moving slightly if we stare at her long enough without blinking. Here's hoping.

Capt'n Midnight

<Blows dust off this one>

Some Cork lads were discussing the recent performance of the Irish Rugby team.

"jaysus , there were like statues boy"

"what do mean ? sure half of them weren't even moving"

CoalBucket

marty1985 wrote: »

And I heard - somewhere on this site - that there is an organisation trying to restore all the grottos around the country and build new ones, so maybe she'll be back out in force, and moving slightly if we stare at her long enough without blinking. Here's hoping.

It's all a load of bo**ox but if we could only market it to the foreigners we could have a nice little tourist attraction like Lourdes or Medjugorge.

Capt'n Midnight

CoalBucket wrote: »

It's all a load of bo**ox but if we could only market it to the foreigners we could have a nice little tourist attraction like Lourdes or Medjugorge.

Knock has the same status and look how well we've managed to sell that abroad. Wasn't the first plane to depart from Knock a pilgrimage ?

Mike 1972

What I could never figure out about Ballinwhatever is that IIRC it wasnt the only (or even the first) place where people reported hallucinating body popping statues so how did it achieve the dubious distinction of becoming moving masonry central ?

marty1985

I think we should get the ball rolling again. I saw her wink at me. You all saw it too, right?

Dudess

Mike 1972 wrote: »

What I could never figure out about Ballinwhatever is that IIRC it wasnt the only (or even the first) place where people reported hallucinating body popping statues so how did it achieve the dubious distinction of becoming moving masonry central ?

The Cork propensity for drama? :pac:

As I said earlier, awfully wet summer, devastating job losses to Cork... perhaps it was latched on to give people hope.

That and the propensity down here for drama - e.g. the floods last winter were as bad elsewhere in the country, but most of the martyrdom came from here...