Gardaí have launched an investigation into an alleged sexual assault on a woman that took place on the grounds of the famous Knock shrine in County Mayo last month.
According to Gardaí, the incident took place after 6.30pm on February 9 last.
The pilgrimage site, which was visited by Pope John Paul II in 1979, welcomes over 1.5 million people every year.
The pilgrimage season for the site runs from April to October every year.
A spokesperson for Knock shrine said the incident was reported immediately to its own security staff and to gardaí.
A local woman expressed the fear that has developed in the community as a result of this incident: “This is happening in daylight for god's sake,” she told TheJournal.ie.
“This guy has not been caught yet and we have been left to spread the word among ourselves.”
No arrests have yet been made and the investigation is ongoing.
