This article is from page 45 of the 2007-07-31 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 45 JPG
AS THE new Killanin stand opens for the first time this week to accom- modate over 7,000 racing enthusi- asts, it incurs memories of that fa- mous day when the Pope came to the Ballybrit racecourse on September 30, 1979. The new €22 million stand is a state of the art work of modern architecture which provides bar, res- taurant, lavish seating arrangements and countless hospitality suites but this is in stark contrast to the servic- es provided to the estimated 280,000 people who travelled far and wide to see Pope John Paul II.
For the three day duration of his stay, the country came to a veritable standstill. Traffic was chaotic, busi- nesses were shut down, families were gathered and surrounding buildings got a lick of paint as hundreds of thousands flocked to Dublin, Droge- da, Clonmacnoise, Galway, Knock, Maynooth, Limerick and Shannon airport to welcome the Catholic church’s highest figure in what was a whistle stop tour of Ireland.
He arrived in Ballybrit racecourse on the morning of September 30 to a crowd estimated at under 300,000. Flags, banners and umbrellas were all being sold by the clued in en- trepreneurs en route to the famous arena which was stewarded by 4,000 volunteers. It was a dreary, damp day but the entusiastic crowd were enter- tained by the pope’s support act, Fr.
Michael Cleary and Bishop Eamon Casey the singing duo who belted out such classics as “by the rivers of Babylon” among others in a scene which possibly would not have been out of place in Father Ted.
Such was the atmosphere as his holi- ness appeared on stage that the crowd began to chant “he’s got the whole world in his hands” before the pope began to address the eager masses. A spiritual silence fell on the crowd as the pontiff began to say mass. Dur- ing the ceremony, he relayed his messages of reassurance and hope to the youth of Ireland. “This morning the Pope belongs to the youth of Ire- land. I believe in youth with all my heart and strength of my conviction, and today I say: I believe in the youth of Ireland. Young people of Ireland, I love you.”
He also insisted that the ‘lure of pleasure’ would be strong and the ‘desire to be free from external re- straints may manifest itself very strongly in the sexual domain. How many young people have already warped their consciences and have substituted the true joy of life with drugs, sex, alcohol, vandalism and the empty pursuit of mere mate- rial possessions?” Prophetic stuff indeed.
The county had or will never see anything like this ceremony again. It was a momentous occasion which probably will never be equaled but will be forever remembered.