In the aftermath of the 1916 Rising, the guerrilla war that followed
reached its peak in August 1920, in the garrison town of Templemore,
when a series of extraordinary events occurred. Sixteen-year-old farm
labourer Jimmy Walsh claimed that he was experiencing Marian
apparitions, and that religious statues owned by him were moving and
bleeding. Miraculous cures were claimed and the religious fervour which
gripped Ireland led to an influx of thousands of pilgrims. The
phenomenon of the 'Templemore miracles' or 'bleeding statues' lasted for
several weeks and an informal ceasefire arose while the rebels, the
police, military and civilian population struggled to comprehend the
surreal situation. The IRA interrogated Walsh, concluding that the
miracles and apparitions were not genuine and also decided that the
flood of pilgrims must cease as it was having a detrimental effect on
the conduct of the war. The IRA, with the direct involvement of Michael
Collins, took action to deal with Walsh and to deter pilgrims from
coming to Templemore. When the last pilgrims left, the conflict resumed
in earnest with a greater level of ferocity and brutality than
previously. Walsh left Ireland, never to return.
