Knock Shrine
Scrín Mhuire, An Cnoc
A small village where the Virgin Mary is said to have appeared in 1879. It is now Ireland's most important Catholic pilgrimage site, welcoming about one million pilgrims a year.
On August 21, 1879, more than a dozen villagers in Knock said they saw the Virgin Mary, St. Joseph and St. John appear on the gable of the parish church. Since then, the site has become Ireland's most important place of pilgrimage. Pope John Paul II visited in 1979, and in 2021 it was designated an International Marian Shrine. Highlights include a glass chapel in front of the gable where the apparition was seen, a group of white marble statues, and the Basilica of Our Lady, Queen of Ireland, which can hold about 10,000 people. Knock Museum presents 19th-century rural life and the story of the apparition. The shrine is open all day and free to enter, while the museum charges a small admission fee. It is about 45 km from Westport, roughly a 50-minute drive, and nearby Ireland West Airport Knock serves as County Mayo's gateway by air.
Opening hours
Pilgrimage site open all day; main hall and museum open by day
Nearby sights
- National Museum of Ireland – Country Life
- Ballintubber Abbey
- Westport Town
- Westport House
- Downpatrick Head
- National Famine Memorial & Murrisk Abbey
- Great Western Greenway
- Croagh Patrick