Knock Holiday

Knock in the west of Ireland is one of Europe's most important religious sites, situated in beautiful green Irish countryside.

Located in County Mayo, the village has a population of just 440, but attracts more than a million tourists a year to its religious sites.

Knock is famous for the supposed appearance of the Virgin Mary, Saint Joseph and St John the Evangelist at the south gable on Knock Parish Church on August 21st 1879. The miracle was witnessed by a group of fifteen people and the town is now a place of pilgrimage for Christians.

The Roman Catholic Marian Shrine at Knock has been visited by Pope John Paul II and Mother Teresa of Calcutta, with an estimated one and a half million pilgrims praying there each year. The Church of the Apparition was built on the site where the apparitions were seen and attracts crowds of religious devotees.

The small town's tourist industry is driven by religion and the Knock Folk Museum documents the story of the 1879 apparition in the context of life in the area more than 100 years ago, with displays on education, crafts, housing and farming.

Knock was a small hamlet for hundreds of years until the apparition and reports of miracles occurring on the site started to circulate, attracting large numbers of pilgrims. The name Knock, or An Cnoc in Irish, translates as The Hill and the town is also known as Cnoc Mhuire, or the Hill of Mary.

The village is home to the impressive Ballintubber Abbey, the only church in Ireland that was founded by an Irish king and is still in use. The abbey has an imposing 15th century doorway and windows dating back to the 13th century.

In contrast, the huge Basilica of Our Lady, Queen of Ireland, which opened in 1976 covers around an acre of land and can hold up to 12,000 worshippers.

Gaelic is spoken in Knock and the town has native Irish-speaking Gaeltacht areas nearby. The area around the village consists primarily of stunning countryside and breathtaking scenery and Knock provides a good base from which to explore the west of Ireland.

Accommodation in the west of Ireland tends to be comfortable, clean, independently run and good value for money, with a host of quirky bed and breakfasts and hotels to choose from.

The area around Knock has a number of good restaurants and the bars are lively, friendly and traditional. Shopping in the region tends to be rather limited to religious paraphernalia, though some shops stock pretty local handicrafts.

Knock International Airport, located in Charlestown Co Mayo, is becoming increasingly busy and flights are now available from a number of UK airports. Other Irish airports, such as Dublin and Shannon, also have good bus and rail links to Knock and it is also possible to travel to County Mayo from Ireland's ferry ports.

The weather on the west coast of Ireland tends to wet, with mild winters and drier springs.

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