SEVENTH WITNESS TO KNOCK VISION ANALYSED

Seventh Witness.

The Testimony of Dominick Beirne.

I am brother of Mary Beirne, who has given her evidence already ; I live near the chapel of Knock ; my age is twenty years. On the occasion when my sister came at about eight o'clock on the evening of the 21st of August into our house, she exclaimed : " Come, Dominick, and see the image of the Blessed Virgin, as she has appeared to us down at the chapel." I said, " What image?" and then she told me, as she has already described it for your reverence in her testimony: she told me all she was after seeing ; I then went with her, and by this time some ten or twelve people had been collected around the place, namely, around the ditch or wall fronting the gable, where the vision was being seen, and to the south of the schoolhouse; [ORIGINAL: "I SAW THE STATUE OF THE BVM, OF ST JOSEPH AND ST JOHN" - it is good that he tells us everybody gathered to the south of the schoolhouse, that surely indicates that they assembled there for the vision seemed to look clearer from that spot] then I beheld the three likenesses or figures that have been already described — the Blessed Virgin, St. Joseph, St. John, as my sister called the bishop, who was like one preaching, with his hands raised towards the shoulder, and the forefinger and middle finger pointedly set; the other two fingers compressed by the thumb ; in his left he held a book ; he was so turned that he looked half towards the altar and half towards the people; [Mary Beirne said he was looking at the altar.  It would be strange if he looked in the direction of the schoolhouse where they were all standing!  It would mean he was preaching at it when there was nobody around!] the eyes of the images could be seen : they were like figures, inasmuch as they did not speak. I was filled with wonder at the sight I saw ; I was so affected that I shed tears ; I continued looking on for fully an hour, and then I went away to visit Mrs. Campbell, who was in a dying state ; when we returned the Vision had disappeared.

WHY IS THE PRIEST'S HANDWRITING SO HURRIED?  THE TALE IS TOO STRUCTURED AND PRACTICED.  DOMINICK JUST LEARNED IT OFF AND RECITED IT FOR THE PRIEST TO WRITE IT DOWN.

Dominick never had to sign this testimony.  Is it valid then?

In the original handwritten copy he says, "I saw the image of an altar".  That was left out of the books.  Why?  An image of an altar cannot mean a statue of an altar.  It would be strange to describe an altar as a statue.  What he meant was he saw a picture of the altar.  It had to be left out for the Church wished to portray the vision as being more than a picture!  A picture would mean it was probably a trick or hoax.