Anton McNulty
CALLS have been made by the management of Knock Shrine to take the controversial House of Prayer off the Fáilte Ireland website, despite calls from an Independent councillor to have it remain there.
It was revealed in a Sunday newspaper that the House of Prayer on Achill Island continues to be promoted by Fáilte Ireland on its website as a place of pilgrimage and retreat alongside Knock Shrine and Croagh Patrick – despite it being investigated by both the Gardaí and the Revenue Commissioners over its financial procedures.
The Fáilte Ireland website displays an interactive map pinpointing the location of the House of Prayer in Achill, and also gives contact numbers and a link for the personal website of Christina Gallagher, its founder.
Mr Pat Lavelle, assistant manager of Knock Shrine, said the website was misleading and the House of Prayer should not be considered the same as Knock Shrine.
“It is not appropriate and it is misleading for people visiting Ireland. It is something you have to be careful about. Knock is an international Marian Shrine with the same status as Lourdes and Fatima, and the House of Prayer is certainly not. The website puts it on the same level as us, which is misleading,” he said.
However, the endorsement of the House of Prayer was welcomed by Independent councillor, Michael Holmes, who claimed that if everything was above board it should remain on the website. He said it provided a lot of revenue for the island and was important for tourism there.
The Manager of Achill Tourism, Ms Helen, Applegard, told The Mayo News that the House of Prayer had been a huge boost to hotels and B&Bs, especially in the Achill Sound region of the island. She said that while a lot has been quoted about the House of Prayer in recent times, she could not say if the numbers visiting the House of Prayer had fallen in the last number of months.
