NON-LIVING ENTITIES SEEN AT KNOCK AND OMISSIONS BY WITNESSES OF IMPORTANT MATERIAL SUGGEST LIES AND EXAGGERATION

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

It matters if the entities were able to move,  Otherwise we have a strange story about statues appearing or ghosts.  They need to be alive, clearly alive.  And it matters if they were seen in daylight. The whole episode sounds like a show typical of the time where images were projected from a magic lantern and you need the dark for that.   It matters if there was a cross and altar and lamb there.  These things have not been clarified satisfactorily. 

WITNESS

MOVEMENT?

SEEN IN DAY-LIGHT?

ALTAR

LAMB

CROSS

1

Patrick Hill

Yes he vaguely said he saw them move but this was in the context of the images seemingly coming out from the wall and going back into it rather than the figures showing any sign of life. 

No - said he was told at at 8 about the vision and ran to the church and said it was very dark.  The darkness probably fell early that night.

Yes

Yes

WEEKLY NEWS 1880

NO IT WAS DARK

DAILY TELEGRAPH 1880

WITNESS

MOVEMENT?

SEEN IN DAY-LIGHT?

ALTAR

LAMB

CROSS

2

Mary McLoughlin

Didn't say what she meant by saying the images were moving.  The images could have moved as a block slightly or an entity might have seemed to be breathing.

Yes

Yes

Yes

WITNESS

MOVEMENT?

SEEN IN DAY-LIGHT?

ALTAR

LAMB

CROSS

3

Mary Beirne

Sort of. 

According to the published account - which was not authorised by her, it was still bright.  Her declaration that she went away from the scene and saw the altar when she got back may imply that the vision was clearer the darker it got. 

Her original account says that it was a darker night than usual because of the rain.  She says too that it was dusk when she first saw the images.  You would expect the dark to have fallen earlier too if it was such a wet evening.

Yes

WEEKLY NEWS 1880

Says there was good light, when asked if it was daylight.  Sounds like the light was okay but not the best.

1932 Testimony - not under oath

1935 testimony to Liam Ua Cadhain

1936 deathbed sworn statement for Commission

Doesn't remember a lamb or stars

WITNESS

MOVEMENT?

SEEN IN DAY-LIGHT?

ALTAR

LAMB

CROSS

4

Patrick Walsh

No

WITNESS

MOVEMENT?

SEEN IN DAY-LIGHT?

ALTAR

LAMB

CROSS

5

Patrick Beirne

No

1932 Testimony

Lamb

1936 Sworn statement

WITNESS

MOVEMENT?

SEEN IN DAY-LIGHT?

ALTAR

LAMB

CROSS

6

Maggie Beirne

No

Yes

Said she saw no cross

WITNESS

MOVEMENT?

SEEN IN DAY-LIGHT?

ALTAR

LAMB

CROSS

7

Dominick Beirne

No

WITNESS

MOVEMENT?

SEEN IN DAY-LIGHT?

ALTAR

LAMB

CROSS

8

Mrs Flatley

Not known - she says it was 8.  It seems that as she thought they were statues and nothing unusual that she saw them in daylight.

WITNESS

MOVEMENT?

SEEN IN DAY-LIGHT?

ALTAR

LAMB

CROSS

9

Bridget Trench

No

No

WITNESS

MOVEMENT?

SEEN IN DAY-LIGHT?

ALTAR

LAMB

CROSS

10

Catherine Murray

No

WEEKLY NEWS 1880

 

WITNESS

MOVEMENT?

SEEN IN DAY-LIGHT?

ALTAR

LAMB

CROSS

11

John Curry

No

1937 New York Tribunal

Appeared to be alive.  But this contradicts his claim that Mary had a face like a statue.  He also says that Bridget Trench touched nothing but the picture when she tried to touch the figures.  Said he did not see the figures move.

Lamb may have been under Joseph's arm and not on the altar like the others said

WITNESS

MOVEMENT?

SEEN IN DAY-LIGHT?

ALTAR

LAMB

CROSS

12

Judith Campbell

Says she was there when night came on but could have meant she arrived at twilight not daylight.

Yes

WITNESS

MOVEMENT?

SEEN IN DAY-LIGHT?

ALTAR

LAMB

CROSS

13

Margaret Beirne 2

No

Just mentions altar

WITNESS

MOVEMENT?

SEEN IN DAY-LIGHT?

ALTAR

LAMB

CROSS

14

Dominick Beirne Sen

No

Just mentions altar

Yes

WITNESS

MOVEMENT?

SEEN IN DAY-LIGHT?

ALTAR

LAMB

CROSS

15

John Durkan