The turnout for the Pope’s mass in the Phoenix Park on Sunday definitely fell short of the expected numbers.
Roughly 500,000 tickets were distributed online back in July for the event, but only 130,000 showed up in the end.
It’s thought there were a number of reasons why this didn’t happen, not least because of the rain and generally grim weather over the weekend.
This was the crowd at the Pope’s Mass today, it’s like Trump’s inauguration all over again https://t.co/hHOZ4qTiMp pic.twitter.com/A4O9dqB0zY
— Chris York (@ChrisDYork) August 26, 2018
A sizeable chunk of people also booked tickets online with no intention of actually showing up, in protest at the pontiff’s visit.
A number of artists including Hozier performed at a ‘Stand 4 Truth’ rally in support of those who have been harmed or abused by the Catholic Church, which took place at the same time as the Pope’s mass.
Sitting here, unable to sleep in, with ,my heart still bursting after #Stand4Truth A massive thank you and much love to @darraghdoyle @TweetsbySimone @GaryDunne @ClareICHH @BernadetteMorri @gracedyas @niallcowley @1GaryGannon and Conor Carmody. You made this happen. pic.twitter.com/wDE62skoa2
— Colm O’Gorman (@Colmogorman) August 27, 2018
Many elderly people and those with health issues may have chosen to stay home from the mass due to the banning of mobility scooters and the amount of walking needed to get to the venue.
It’s a far cry from Pope John Paul’s visit to Ireland back in 1979, where 2.7million people turned out to see him over three days.
Main image via @ChrisDYork
READ MORE: TWEETS: Dubliners Are All In Agreement About One Aspect Of The Papal Visit
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