Moving Statues phenomena...WTF was it all about??

gobnaitolunacy

Was it some sort of mass national hallucination?

How did it appear almost out of nowhere and when did they 'stop' moving?

who the fug

Slow news day and canny business


Chipper was going full pelt when I was dragged along to see them at 3 in the morning.

Judgement Day

I think Ballinaspittle nr.Kinsale (below) was where it all started. The local publicans made a fortune apparently.



Being a left footer I didn't notice any movement myself.

who the fug

All I am saying was lights appeared to be on in the public house, but was unable to investigate

Judgement Day

The one in Ballinspittle didn't move fast enough though - remember this from 1985 ?

Three men drove up in a car. Two of them strode swiftly to the shrine, jumped over the fence, and hacked away at the statue with an axe and a hammer, completely destroying the face and severely damaging the hands. The third man calmly took photographs. The spectators were too stunned and horrified to intervene. Someone said, "You must be from Satan to do such a thing!" The men laughed and said, "Well, you're worse to be adoring false gods." They then drove off in their car. Local people linked the attack to a religious sect that had scattered leaflets at the grotto, stating that people should adore the head of Christ in their local churches. Three men were later arrested and charged with malicious damage to the statue. Meanwhile prayers were said at the grotto, and people claimed to have seen the defaced statue continue to move.

Read more: http://www.answers.com/topic/ballinspittle#ixzz2YXkznypo


More here - you couldn't make up: http://www.apnewsarchive.com/1985/Three-Men-Charged-in-Attack-on-Reputed-Moving-Statue/id-2ef193ede3852971f600a1fbb1448da2

who the fug

Don't remember that at all

Aglomerado

We had a neighbour who really wanted to go down there, but she didn't drive, so my parents offered to take her. Cue big family day out to Ballinspittle! The statue didn't move to our disappointment :P. Place was thronged with nuns and older folk...best memory of that day was the craic with the neighbour (who was and is still a real character) on the journey.

fryup

it spread throughout the country, every parish had their moving statue theme park

you couldn't make it up, now you where the writers of father ted got their idea

ireland was bally-go-backwards back then

Judgement Day

fryup wrote: »

it spread throughout the country, every parish had their moving statue theme park

you couldn't make it up, now you where the writers of father ted got their idea

ireland was bally-go-backwards back then

What's changed?

greenpilot

Judgement Day wrote: »

What's changed?

Education.

Manach

Never saw any statues move in the day, but given the fickleness of the Irish public and how segments have moved from piety to scorn in such a sort time, unlikely their basic nature has changed overly much.

Rovi

Towards the end of the moving statues period, there were reports that they had to put a fence around the monument to Master McGrath, because he was going rambling at night worrying sheep

Judgement Day

greenpilot wrote: »

Education.

Oh rightee...today's 'educated' masses are too busy worshiping Facebook, stuck to their ipods or tweeting to bother chasing after grottoes. :rolleyes:

endacl

Manach wrote: »

Never saw any statues move in the day, but given the fickleness of the Irish public and how segments have moved from piety to scorn in such a sort time, unlikely their basic nature has changed overly much.

Education.

Or from conditioned to free thinking? From closed to open minded?
From ignorant to informed?
From afraid to repulsed?

While many indeed might have been pious, those four changes I listed would certainly and inevitably result in scorn for the institution of the church from many many others. And rightly so. It doesn't have much to do with fickleness, despite the comfort that belief might bring to some.

endacl

Judgement Day wrote: »

Oh rightee...today's 'educated' masses are too busy worshiping Facebook, stuck to their ipods or tweeting to bother chasing after grottoes. :rolleyes:

Yep. There's an app for that.

Pawwed Rig

Judgement Day wrote: »

What's changed?

Nothing this is only three years ago

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGJC1pM54EQ

http://www.advertiser.ie/mayo/article/19787

Also if you do a search for Achill House of Prayer you will find a whole raft of other crazies.

We were dragged to Ballinaspittle as kids. I remember the place being jammed with people staring at the statue and saying rosaries. My uncle swore he saw the statue moving :pac:. Even at that age 7-8 we were making jokes about how it waved to us.

Absolute madness.

fryup

endacl wrote: »

While many indeed might have been pious, those four changes I listed would certainly and inevitably result in scorn for the institution of the church from many many others. And rightly so. It doesn't have much to do with fickleness, despite the comfort that belief might bring to some.

agreed, we're far more savvy & wordly than a generation ago..yes we're still a bit easily led but compared to 20yrs + back the change in ireland has been immense

Judgement Day

fryup wrote: »

agreed, we're far more savvy & wordly than a generation ago..yes we're still a bit easily led but compared to 20yrs + back the change in ireland has been immense

Savvy isn't a word that I would readily apply to the younger generation. They have been swamped with technology, social media etc. and knowing how to behave - e.g. not posting their life histories on Facebook - has gone out the window. I think, despite what many others would say, that the younger generation today are anything but savvy or worldly wise. We're busy breeding a generation that will end up like the passengers and crew on the 'Axiom' in the Wall-E movie, except not as pleasant.

gobnaitolunacy

Judgement Day wrote: »

What's changed?

The scandals in the RCC have made it toxic for many, until they start having kids and then Baptisms/Communions/Confirmations bring them back into the fold again, at least in rural/small town Ireland, for appearances sake.

So we've changed from being a nation of unquestioningly devout Catholics to being a la carte Catholics and varying shades of agnosticism/atheism.

And there's still a few isolated pockets of crazies, the old school traditionalists are a generation on the way out.

who the fug

gobnaitolunacy wrote: »

The scandals in the RCC have made it toxic for many, until they start having kids and then Baptisms/Communions/Confirmations bring them back into the fold again, at least in rural/small town Ireland, for appearances sake.

So we've changed from being a nation of unquestioningly devout Catholics to being a la carte Catholics and varying shades of agnosticism/atheism.

I query the unquestioningly devout Catholics bit, I went to mass to keep the peace with the old dear, my mates in town had a rotation policy for mass so they knew who the priest was and the readings.

Keeping the peace yes (even going to Knock with the old biddies) , unquestioningly devout Catholic in public yes, amongst our peers no

gobnaitolunacy

who the fug wrote: »

I query the unquestioningly devout Catholics bit, I went to mass to keep the peace with the old dear, my mates in town had a rotation policy for mass so they knew who the priest was and the readings.

Keeping the peace yes (even going to Knock with the old biddies) , unquestioningly devout Catholic in public yes, amongst our peers no

I should have qualified it as a nation of 'adults', and occasional mitching off Mass isn't really a walk on the wild side or a serious threat to the social order.

Pawwed Rig

who the fug wrote: »

Keeping the peace yes (even going to Knock with the old biddies) , unquestioningly devout Catholic in public yes, amongst our peers no

Unfortunately it is the same thing and is the reason that kids are still forced to endure years and years of religious study as part of the State curriculum in schools.

fryup

gobnaitolunacy wrote: »

So we've changed from being a nation of unquestioningly devout Catholics to being a la carte Catholics and varying shades of agnosticism/atheism.

who the fug wrote: »

I query the unquestioningly devout Catholics bit, I went to mass to keep the peace with the old dear, my mates in town had a rotation policy for mass so they knew who the priest was and the readings.

whats with some irish?? have they not got the backbone just to say no
i'm not going to mass, if you don't believe in it don't do it

say what you like about the english but at least they're not hypocrites they don't believe in religion hence they don't practice

who the fug

fryup wrote: »

whats with some irish?? have they not got the backbone just to say no
i'm not going to mass, if you don't believe in it don't do it

say what you like about the english but at least they're not hypocrites they don't believe in religion hence they don't practice

I take it you never did anything as a teenager just to keep the peace

fryup

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

when you get to a certain age, there comes a time when you're old enough to make up your own mind about certain things

Pawwed Rig

fryup wrote: »

whats with some irish?? have they not got the backbone just to say no
i'm not going to mass, if you don't believe in it don't do it

This exactly

And then filling out the census form saying how Catholic they are so the govt has statistics to back up their misuse of public funds:mad:

I think we're getting away from the 'all things retro' premise of this forum though:D

mike65

Moving statues came amid massive threatened (and real) upheaval, the early - mid 80s was a time of challenge to the Catholic doctrine - divorce and abortion, contraceptives and that kind of stuff plus economic misery oh and a really ****ing awful summer in 1985.

So the only thing stopping more of the same is this sunny weather I reckon.

Reekwind

Judgement Day wrote: »

Oh rightee...today's 'educated' masses are too busy worshiping Facebook, stuck to their ipods or tweeting to bother chasing after grottoes. :rolleyes:

I think that there's a difference between clicking on digital cows on Facebook and believing that God is rocking a statue somewhere

cml387

Property bubbles, paedophilia panic, witchunts etc.

Extraordinary delusions and the Madness of Crowds

stimpson

Judgement Day wrote: »

Oh rightee...today's 'educated' masses are too busy worshiping Facebook, stuck to their ipods or tweeting to bother chasing after grottoes. :rolleyes:

I hope the irony of decrying social media on a message board is not lost on you.

filbert the fox

My boss asked me a question about three years ago - did I hear that the recession was official ? I said how ? well, says he, the movin' statues are back.....

dilallio

Remember it well - it was 1985.

There was a big fight in our local church - St Patrick called St Francis Asissi.


/gets coat