Shrine History

History of the Shrine 1965 – 2015

The Grotto in Monageer was blessed and dedicated to Our Lady on Ascension Thursday, 27^th May 1965. Fr. John Murphy, who was appointed Parish Priest in Monageer in 1958, was instrumental in bringing this about. He got some local people together with a view of erecting a ‘roadside’ grotto. These included William O’Brien, Monageer, George Dunbar, Monageer and Nicholas Breen, Ballydonegan. While searching for a suitable location to erect the shrine, it was William O’Brien, who offered to the parish a parcel of his land that included a disused quarry, an area about 3 and a half acres in size. The quarry had been disused for many years.

The Grotto committee accepted the offer from the O’Brien family and Pat Rath, Avonbeg, remembered driving Fr. Murphy near and far to look at other grottos so he could incorporate what he saw into his plans for Monageer. Nicholas Breen was contracted to clear and level the area from the road frontage back to the rock-face. Many trees were planted and it is reported that some specimen trees were imported from Italy and planted in the grotto. The Dwyer brothers from Coolgarrow, Owen, Paddy and Aidan along with a fellow Coolgarrow man Tom Murphy and George Dunbar undertook the planting.

The all-important statue that would become the centre piece in the grotto, was donated to the parish by an anonymous donor. The plaque on the rock face underneath the statue just states ‘Pray for the Donor’. Every time we do this the anonymous donor is remembered, even now as he/she enjoys their eternal reward.

The life size statue of Our Lady with the Infant Jesus in her arms is made from Carrara marble. The statue was placed onto the highest point of the rock face overlooking the vast area down towards the Ferns road. (Years later it was lowered to its present position.)

When all the preparation and installation works were done, the date 27^th May 1965 was set for the official blessing and dedication. Around the same time Fr. Murphy arranged for a Parish Mission to take place and so he enrolled the services of the travelling missionary priests to participate in the ceremony in the grotto.

Fr. B. Hannon and Fr. Kevin Cullen, both from the Order of St. Augustine, St. John’s Priory, Thomas St, Dublin were leading the mission in Monageer and they assisted Fr. Murphy in a moving ceremony in the grotto. Standing in a natural pulpit underneath the statue Fr. Cullen delivered a special sermon. Afterwards, the large numbers present formed into processional order and recited the Rosary of our Lady on their way to the parish church, where Fr. Hannon imparted Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament.

Fr. Murphy invited Matt Doyle, Knockduff and Jim Donohoe, Grange to help out in the grotto and so further areas were cleared and planted. Top soil was spread over an area in front of the statue and grass seed sown down. Once the grass took hold it contributed to removing the harshness of the rock face. This, too, was helped in no small way with the trees planted in previous years now having established themselves. Pathways through the site were made and specimen Rhododendron trees were planted to add some spring and early summer colour.

Fr. Murphy retired through ill health in 1972 but remained living in the area with Owen and Molly Kehoe, Tomsollagh, until his death in 1978. Molly had been his house keeper in Caim, Askamore and Monageer. It was while in Monageer that she met and married Owen Kehoe.

In 1985 the phenomenon that was ‘moving statues’ that began in Ballinspittle, Co Cork, spread to Monageer. Hundreds of people descended on our local grotto, with some claiming to have seen the statue of Our Lady and Infant Jesus move. Others attributed what people saw to an optical illusion brought about by staring intently at a statue lit up in the twilight against a dark background.

Work on the upkeep of the grounds seemed to go fine for a number of years, but then for one reason or another, very little was done at the Grotto and the area very quickly became overgrown. When Fr. James Grennan was appointed as Parish Priest in 1982 he set about reigniting the interest of those who wished to restore the grounds of the grotto to its former glory.

After Fr. Grennan’s death in 1994 very little work was undertaken in the grotto for some years. It was not until early in 2004 that George Dunbar approached a number of people whom he thought would be interested in organising themselves to undertake a clean-up of the area. Permission was sought and received from Fr. William Cosgrave for the volunteers to carry out whatever work they deemed necessary to bring the grotto back to its former glory. This brought about the forming of the Monageer Parish Grotto Group.

Since 2004, with the help of Fr. Cosgrave, an annual outdoor grotto Mass has been organised. On a Friday night early in August this open air event is held at the Grotto. Large numbers have always turned up to participate in the Mass celebrated in this unique setting. Even though Fr. Murphy had done so much to get the grotto established, no Mass was celebrated here until 2004.

1965 Image Details (Image Above)

The Grotto of Our Lady and the Child Jesus was blessed at Monageer on Ascension Thursday 1965. Pictured here during a break from work at the Grotto are (left to right): Edward Redmond, Ballymotey; Rev. Kevin Cullen, O.S.A. Dublin who was giving a mission in Monageer parish; Harold Fenlon, Ballymotey; V. Rev. John J Murphy, P.P. Monageer; and Owen Kehoe, Clondaw.