Adversity opens up opportunity for Knock business

It took a global pandemic to force a Knock institution to close its doors to the public for the first time since the 1930s, but that just opened up a new opportunity for John J. Byrne Crafts & Religious Souvenirs.

The shop normally opens 364 days every year but Covid-19 meant the doors had to be shut to customers earlier this year.

However, that's just the start of a new story as owner John Byrne and family have worked tirelessly over the past few weeks to open up an online service. Now, a range of around 150 products are available online at knockreligiousgoods.ie.

The shop was established in the 1930s by Dominick Byrne, who was one of the visionaries of the Apparation in 1879. The shop was passed down to his son John Joe, who built a line of business units on Main Street, with John J. Byrne Crafts & Religious Souvenirs in the prime location adjacent to Knock Shrine.

John Joe's son John, the current owner, is the third generation to run the business and is now responsible for putting his own particular stamp on the operation by taking it online.

“The chance of opening up the doors for customers anytime soon is up in the air,” said John's daughter Kelley-Anne Elliott, who works in the business. “So the question was, 'Do we just accept this or do we do something about it?' We always wanted to go online but it was a question of getting the time to do it.”

Similar to everywhere else, Knock has been hit hard by the pandemic. In a normal year, up to one million pilgrims could visit the east Mayo village but the Covid-19 pandemic has made that impossible. As a consequence, business has been hit hard. But some enterprises, like John J. Byrne Crafts & Religious Souvenirs, are hoping to turn adversity into opportunity.

*Pictured above, John J. Byrne Craft & Religious Souvenirs shop in Knock village.