Huge sense of pride for Westport photographer

SILENCE Michael McLaughlin took this picture of Pope Francis sitting in silent prayer in the Knock Apparition Chapel.

IT was probably Friday when I got confirmation from Knock Shrine that I would be working on their behalf for the Pope’s visit.
When we got to Kiltimagh to be vetted it was busy. It was like going through airport security and they checked all the camera gear, took off all the lenses. I found out later they were garda photographic guys.
When we got to Knock we were chaperoned through the crowd to get people pictures.
I got up to the Apparition Chapel at 8.30am and was there in the dry, thankfully. I was photographing everyone there before the Pope arrived. It was very quiet and solemn but they were showing a live feed on a TV screen.
The atmosphere went up a couple of notches when footage showed he had touched down at the airport. I got a couple of great shots of Fr Richard (Gibbons), you can see the anticipation, looking out the window and pacing, you can feel the build-up.
I knew the shot I wanted, I wanted a shot of the Pope in front of the statues of the Apparition and I got it (See the Front page of our supplement).
There’s certain etiquette in the Chapel so you’re conscious of that, you’re in a sacred space, you’ve the Pope there and security and to try and get the angle for the shot.
The Vatican photographers have been a family of photographers photographing all the Popes, they’ve done this stuff forever, they’re very familiar, so we were contending with them as well.
I wasn’t nervous, I was anxious, because you’re in there, you’ve a short space of time and you have to put the ball in the net. One of the Vatican guys, gave me the nod, when I was getting pics of the Pope in silent prayer. Then I pulled back, but then after he brought us out with all the Vatican photographers so we ended up in a better position, right in front of the stage.
To get that close and in that space [the Apparition Chapel] with him, was great.
It’s definitely the biggest gig I’ve ever photographed, the only thing I could compare it to was the Prince of Monaco visiting Newport, in terms of the level of security.
There’s a huge sense of pride looking through the shots. As a historical document of the day, it is great to always have these pictures.

Michael McLaughlin, Westport- based photographer, was in conversation with Ciara Galvin