NOT only has Ireland acquired a blasphemy law in the last week, it now also possesses a tree stump which allegedly bears a resemblance to She Who Was Once Knocked Up by the Almighty.
According to this report, thousands of Irish Catholic eedjits have flocked to a County Limerick church to pray at the stump of a recently cut willow tree.
Strewth! A devotee stumps up a gift for the arboreal Mary
The phenomenon at St Mary’s parish church in Rathkeale, population 3,000 or so, harkens back to decades when Catholic devotion and pilgrimages were the dominant feature of rural life in Ireland.
Some are tying the fervour for Rathkeale’s “Holy Stump” to Ireland’s stunning economic decline over the past year.
Said Noel White, who has been overseeing a church project to cut down trees dangerously overhanging the neighboring school playground:
People have been crying out for something good to happen. And this is all good for the soul.
When one willow was felled near the church entrance, he said, a major branch cracked off and made “a funny shape.” One worker cut through the stump at a near-vertical angle, revealing a wooden relief that inspires some to see the Virgin Mary.
One lad beside the one who’d made the cut immediately saw the outline of Our Lady and blessed himself. He declared:
It really is unreal. Every one of us could see it.
Except the workman who originally made the cut, Anthony Reddin:
I see it as the grain of a tree myself.
Nonetheless, word of mouth brought about 100 to inspect and pray at the stump that first night. Numbers swelled to several hundred the next night. By Wednesday, more than a thousand came and went as a makeshift shrine of candles, rosaries and miniature statues of Mary grew. The praying continued past 2 am on Thursday.
The parish priest is away on vacation. His summer replacement, the Rev Willie Russell, is not impressed. He says locals are letting their imagination run wild and threatening to violate the commandment, “Thou shalt not worship a false God.” He grumpily added:
It’s just a tree. You don’t worship a tree.
But the priest said he saw no harm in saying Hail Mary prayers at the spot – so long as the faithful don’t actually find themselves praying to the stump itself.
I don’t believe in idolatry. That would be the danger.
The County Limerick diocese of the church said it viewed the stump with:
Great skepticism. While we do not wish in any way to detract from devotion to Our Lady, we would also wish to avoid anything which might lead to superstition.
But Noel White said he didn’t understand the church’s distinction between its age-old love of statues and this natural discovery.
We pray in front of statues which are marble and chalk. What’s the difference if it’s timber?
Irish Catholics saw images of the Virgin Mary during Ireland’s last recession in the mid-1980s, when thousands prayed at village statues believed to gesture, nod or even hover.
The stump has proven a boon for the local economy, with the curious traveling from neighboring counties to light votive candles and say rosaries — and sample the local pubs and shops.
Rathkeale shopkeeper Seamus Hogan is leading a petition drive to deter village authorities from uprooting and removing the stump, as they originally planned to do. The petition has more than 2,000 signatures – and White’s tree-cutters have gotten the message.
We won’t be removing the stump. We’d remove it at our peril.
The Freethinker was founded in 1881 by GW Foote, an outspoken critic of religion. After the publication of 
July 12th, 2009 at 1:34 pm
It looks more like one of the Teletubbies to me! Are they all "LaaLaa"?
July 12th, 2009 at 2:16 pm
I used to enjoy a good laugh at the Catholic's expense whenever one of these holy images popped up. Now, more and more I find it sad and depressing that in an age of enlightenement some people are, mentally speaking, still in the dark ages.
July 12th, 2009 at 2:21 pm
This'll be a good test case for the new laws. The first person to laugh at all the people sitting on their hands an knees, worshiping the holy tree stump gets arrested for blasphemy!
July 12th, 2009 at 2:39 pm
Is that a butt on the right?
July 12th, 2009 at 3:44 pm
Dunno. But there is certainly an arsehole on the left!
July 12th, 2009 at 4:13 pm
Catholics can't eat a packet of crisps without finding one that looks like jesus or the virgin mary or mother theresa (she turned up on a pork scratching once)
Personally I think this one looks like Alex mercer from that video game [prototype], though thats probably down to the fact I've been playing that game obsessively for the past couple of weeks
July 12th, 2009 at 4:21 pm
Actually, on closer inspection, doesn`t it look just like ET, right down to the blanket over its head?
July 12th, 2009 at 4:22 pm
That`s Po!
July 12th, 2009 at 4:32 pm
Arrest this blasphemer!
July 12th, 2009 at 4:40 pm
Limerick
There was a treestump in Rathkeale
Before which the locals did kneel.
The form of it, see,
Was of B. V. Mary;
But it looks just like E.T. I feel!
July 12th, 2009 at 4:55 pm
Limerick II
The vicar said: "You mustn`t bow
To a tree stump, or pray or kow-tow.
You can say your Hail Mary
To a fictional fairy;
That`s OK, `twill not cause a row!"
July 12th, 2009 at 5:14 pm
On a previous post the little fella wrote…
'I understand that Smith was confronted by by both God AND Jesus while wandering in the woods. Don't ask which is which.'
Just show them the stump!
If one shouts "Mummy", and the other whispers "I've had her"…
Sorted!
July 12th, 2009 at 5:25 pm
The police will no doubt have to "log" the incident as a hate crime.
*gets coat and leaves*
July 12th, 2009 at 5:26 pm
One could bisect a bowling pin and these desperate religious nuts would go completely ga ga.
July 12th, 2009 at 5:53 pm
Looks like she's offering the virgin a baggie of MARY-juana
July 12th, 2009 at 5:56 pm
Limerick III
The Catholics don`t find it funny
That their organization makes money
From relics and shrouds
That draw in the crowds
Like bees that have gathered round honey!
( Is that enough Limericks for now, Barry?)
July 12th, 2009 at 5:59 pm
I thought it was one of those wooden photo-booths, where you put some grapes on the stump and it prints out your holiday snaps of Dublin.
Could be wrong tho'.
July 12th, 2009 at 6:52 pm
It appears that no one here is capable of taking this matter seriously.
July 12th, 2009 at 7:11 pm
And just how the hell are we supposed to do that?
July 12th, 2009 at 7:46 pm
Please, Stonyground, tell us blasphemers how to take people who go and worship a tree-stump seriously. I'm trying, but I can't make it work.
July 12th, 2009 at 8:21 pm
By bringing offerings of Cuprinol and Ronseal, and protecting the mother of god from woodpickers you heathen!
July 12th, 2009 at 8:55 pm
"Limerick Revisited" by Evelyn Bore
Holy Mary, Mother of God –
Is that your face there on that log?
And is it a sign
Of something divine
That nearly was lost in the bog!
July 12th, 2009 at 8:59 pm
Knock Revisited
"Knock!Knock!"
"Who`s there?"
"Mary"
"Mary who?"
"Mary me, or I`ll tell them it was you who shagged me and not an angel!"
July 12th, 2009 at 9:00 pm
They`d send Special Branch, of course!
July 12th, 2009 at 9:14 pm
At a time when the civilized world is moving in the direction of legalizing free speech, Ireland has taken the retrograde step of passing legislation that will have the effect of criminalizing scholarly criticism of the organized crime syndicate known as the RC Church, and simultaneously criminalizing recognition of the hate cult of Islam as institutionalized terrorism. That is no reflection on the Irish people, who overwhelmingly oppose what their theofascist dictators have done in their capacity as the RC church's obedient mindslaves. But it provides further proof that the godphuqt are as contemptuous of basic human rights as they were at the height of the Inquisition. Religion is a crime against humanity, and its enforcers belong in cages with padded walls like any other mad dog.
July 12th, 2009 at 9:37 pm
I could not have put it better Dr Harwood. I saw this tree stump featured on the TV news and was shocked by the sincerity of the "believers" Those catholics are really very, very sick.
This incident brings a different meaning to the term "tree-hugger"
July 13th, 2009 at 2:48 am
True enough, I suppose. If they weren't Irish, I suspect people probably wouldn't be laughing so much. There's the whole pitiful stereotype of the superstitious Cattlick to giggle at. If I was one of Ireland's intelligent majority I'd be wincing at the moment.
That said, in any other country people would think it looked like Emperor Palpatine.
July 13th, 2009 at 4:29 am
Agree. but do we smell a 'Rat' from Rome in this sudden blasphemous libel law in Ireland? It seems mighty coincidental to me that this law was brought in only weeks after the damning Ryan Report, detailing systematic Catholic child abuse. I would put money on it that the Vatican had a little filthy hand in this law, in the hopes of shutting down criticism of catholic abuse in the hope it will fall under 'blasphemous libel'. These people are beyond devious.
As for the bloody log-worship, just another example in the never-ending list of religious insanity. I hope the world starts laughing loud enough for them to start hearing it (even though we all know religious people are totally deaf dumb and blind).
July 13th, 2009 at 6:16 am
Quote from What Would Betty Do? allegedly by Betty Bowers of the Landover Baptist Church: "If God = Jesus = Holy Spirit, and Mary was impregnated by the Holy Spirit, didn't she have sex with her son?"
My comment: Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't Betty calling Jesus a motherfucker?
July 13th, 2009 at 8:11 am
…and completely devoid of any sense of humour!
July 13th, 2009 at 8:14 am
I don`t feel that that treestump should be allowed to wear a cross. Forestry workers of other "faiths" might find that offensive.
July 13th, 2009 at 8:38 am
The report claims the Virgin Mary is a willow.
I thought she was a yew!
July 13th, 2009 at 3:48 pm
Damn, Mr. Gronk, the sad thing is, if you google "michael jackson tree stump" you're pretty close.
July 13th, 2009 at 4:38 pm
If it looks like Emperor Palpatine maybe it isn't the BVM at all but Pope Ratty. He certainly looks like Palpatine and seems to indulge in the same kind of underhanded political scheming.
July 13th, 2009 at 6:53 pm
LOL
July 13th, 2009 at 6:54 pm
remigius
"Dunno. But there is certainly an arsehole on the left!"
LOL Nice one!
July 13th, 2009 at 7:08 pm
I guess so.
God is her father too isn't he? So she had a threesome with her son and her dad and erm… a ghost. How could they possibly coinsider this to be an immaculate conception? sounds right mucky to me!!
Godless not gormless
July 13th, 2009 at 7:37 pm
http://bocktherobber.com/2009/.....iscovere...
July 13th, 2009 at 7:45 pm
You wont be poplar telling those old chestnuts.
July 13th, 2009 at 8:06 pm
It was actually Mary who had the immaculate conception or rather Mary's mum. This became part of Catholic dogma quite late on due to the problem of original sin which would otherwise have been passed on to Jesus who would then not been suitable as a sacrifice for all the sins of the world.
This is the kind of stuff that passes for logic in the Catholic mind.
July 14th, 2009 at 7:22 am
I`ve just found out who Emperor Palpatine was!
July 14th, 2009 at 7:31 am
She looks rather sallow to me. Perhaps she`s pining for those Cedars of Lebanon: best get her on the next plane.
July 23rd, 2009 at 10:33 pm
Apart from the three idiots you quoted, did you consider relaying the views of the rest of us in the area who think this is a joke?