Rosaleen and Colm Bryce Snr
Rosaleen Bryce, 77, and her husband Colm Snr, 84, a former publican, loaded up the car with their picnics and three sons and drove through the night from Derry to see Pope John Paul II in Knock in 1979. She says: ‘IT’S mind-boggling to think of what a different world it was back then — much more innocent days. My husband and I took our three boys from Derry, leaving at 10.30pm at night, arriving in Knock at 3am and the Pope didn’t arrive until around 5pm the next day.
But there was no question of not going to see the Pope on his first visit to Ireland. It was something you had to do, even if you weren’t that religious. I had breakfasts and lunches and the morning and afternoon tea all packed and we had chairs and the kids had their rucksacks. We were so organised.
Everybody was so happy and friendly. No matter how much we were pushed around we were thrilled and still look back on it now with great fondness.
We were so lucky to arrive in the dark so we stuffed the car into a great spot so the kids could go back and have a wee rest when they got tired. When he walked around the Basilica, we were so close to him it was unbelievable, we got goosebumps. When he walked along at the balcony, it was just pure magic — that’s the only way I can describe it and everyone felt it. We still look back on it with great fondness although the kids say, “I don’t care if the Pope is coming, we’re not going through all that again!”
Our parking spot was so good, when it came time to leave, we were in Bundoran for a meal in the Central Hotel and were back in Derry by 10pm — my brother-in-law didn’t get out of the field until the next afternoon.
It’s a brilliant memory. I wasn’t very religious but I was brought up Catholic so to see him in our lifetime was such a huge privilege. We still very much go to Mass. All this drama about the abuse in the Church — it’s some people in the Church, not the Church. You get bad in everything and that goes for every walk of life. There’s bad apples in every barrel.
It’s very difficult for Pope Francis — he’s only human and there’s ones in Rome that won’t shift. Power is a terrible thing, even in the Church, and we can’t blame the Pope.
We’re not going this year as I think we’re past all that travelling and walking, although I’d love to. It’s for the young ones now to go and maybe they’ll find the wonderful, spiritual experience we had. There’s a lot of criticism of the Church but I can’t explain what a wonderful experience it was to be with the Pope in the flesh.’