KNOCK VISION IS SUSPECT FOR LIES TOLD ABOUT THE RAIN AND IT WAS NOT VIEWED PROPERLY

Source: 1879 Depositions of Witnesses of "Apparition" of Mary, Joseph, John and angels on the gable of Knock Chapel.

After the reported two hour apparition, depositions were taken from the witnesses. There are clues in those statements. Was it a miracle or paranormal or something more natural?

UNDERLINED TEXT AT FACE VALUE INDICATES THE SUPERNATURAL OR INEXPLICABLE

THE BOLDED TEXT IS CLEAR EVIDENCE OF THE MAGIC LANTERN THEORY OR A NON-MIRACLE

THE REST DOESN'T INDICATE ONE WAY OR THE OTHER

THERE ARE FAR MORE BOLDED INDICATING THAT THE EVIDENCE FAVOURS A NATURAL INTERPRETATION

WITNESS	RAINING	SPARKLE	MIRACLE DRY GABLE	CLOSE UP VIEW
1 Patrick Hill	All the time		Not mentioned For the space of one hour and a half we were under the pouring rain ... I noticed that the rain did not wet the figures. The figures staying dry would be expected if they were projections from a magic lantern.	YES
WEEKLY NEWS 1880				When asked if he could touch he strangely does not answer but says instead that an old woman tried to touch the Virgin's feet. Says he was at a distance.
DAILY TELEGRAPH 1880				YES
WITNESS	RAINING	SPARKLE	MIRACLE DRY GABLE	CLOSE UP VIEW
2 Mary McLoughlin	Yes - but does not say it rained all the time	Yes - like little stars. Was the rain interfering with the light source?	Not clear. She says the gable had a dry appearance. A wall can look dry at night when it is lit up. She was only saying it looked dry not that it was dry. Even if it was dry, that may not have been a miracle in her view for she didn't say it rained all the time. "I was outside the ditch and to the south-west of the schoolhouse near the road."	NO - she stayed at the ditch
WITNESS	RAINING	SPARKLE	MIRACLE DRY GABLE	CLOSE UP VIEW
3 Mary Beirne	All the time	Yes - like little stars
WEEKLY NEWS 1880
1932 Testimony - not under oath	Yes
1935 testimony to Liam Ua Cadhain
1936 deathbed sworn statement for Commission
WITNESS	RAINING	SPARKLE	MIRACLE DRY GABLE	CLOSE UP VIEW
4 Patrick Walsh	Yes - but does not say it rained all the time			NO
WITNESS	RAINING	SPARKLE	MIRACLE DRY GABLE	CLOSE UP VIEW
5 Patrick Beirne
1932 Testimony
1936 Sworn statement	Heavy drizzle
WITNESS	RAINING	SPARKLE	MIRACLE DRY GABLE	CLOSE UP VIEW
6 Maggie Beirne	Yes - but does not say it rained all the time but only at the time she went to see the vision
WITNESS	RAINING	SPARKLE	MIRACLE DRY GABLE	CLOSE UP VIEW
7 Dominick Beirne				Says the eyes of the images could be seen so YES
WITNESS	RAINING	SPARKLE	MIRACLE DRY GABLE	CLOSE UP VIEW
8 Mrs Flatley				NO
WITNESS	RAINING	SPARKLE	MIRACLE DRY GABLE	CLOSE UP VIEW
9 Bridget Trench		Yes	Yes - the wind blew the rain in the direction of the gable but the gable remained dry as did the ground underneath the vision. Another miracle is how if the gable and the ground were really dry, why some visionaries didn't stand against it to get shelter from the rain! Also why did people stand at the south gable of the school house to get all the rain and wind?	YES
WITNESS	RAINING	SPARKLE	MIRACLE DRY GABLE	CLOSE UP VIEW
10 Catherine Murray
WEEKLY NEWS 1880
WITNESS	RAINING	SPARKLE	MIRACLE DRY GABLE	CLOSE UP VIEW
11 John Curry				NO - he said he went on the wall near the Church to see them. No mention of Hill's claim that he took him up closer. The priest wrote down the testimony and so it is really hearsay about what the child said. It does not suffice as evidence. Nevertheless, when the priest didn't write that Curry had a close up view, it is probable that he didn't have. A child could not resist saying he saw the vision close if he really did.
1937 New York Tribunal
WITNESS	RAINING	SPARKLE	MIRACLE DRY GABLE	CLOSE UP VIEW
12 Judith Campbell	Yes - but does not say it rained all the time		Says the place where the images appeared was "quite dry". So she must have thought it was just damp.	YES
WITNESS	RAINING	SPARKLE	MIRACLE DRY GABLE	CLOSE UP VIEW
13 Margaret Beirne 2		Yes
WITNESS	RAINING	SPARKLE	MIRACLE DRY GABLE	CLOSE UP VIEW
14 Dominick Beirne Sen	Says it rained at the time he arrived at the scene but does not say it rained all the time		Gable not mentioned and only says the images were dry, if the images were made of light this would be what you would expect
WITNESS	RAINING	SPARKLE	MIRACLE DRY GABLE	CLOSE UP VIEW
15 John Durkan