On Friday US president Joe Biden made an unexpected visit to Ireland’s most eminent Catholic shrine at Knock during his visit to Ireland to mark the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Peace Agreement.
As part of the whistle-stop visit, the President took time to visit his ancestral homes in Co. Louth and Ballina, Co. Mayo, before unexpectedly visiting the shrine of Our Lady of Knock in Knock, about 20 miles from Ballina, on the final day of his four-day tour.
During the visit, which was an unexpected – and late - addition to his itinerary, the second Catholic president of the US took some time to learn about the history of the Shrine and the Marian Apparition of 1879. He also took some time for private prayer at the Apparition Chapel, the spot where locals reported a vision of the Lamb of God, Our Lady, St Joseph and St John the Evangelist in 1879.
