This Clare priest offered confession in the middle of a busy shopping centre

Clare priest Fr Pat Larkin had to compete with Rod Stewart bellowing out ‘Baby Jane’ while hearing confession yesterday at the Shannon Skycourt shopping centre.

With his confessional made up of a small table and two chairs located feet away from a €2 ride featuring Barney the Dinosaur in the shopping mall outside Dunnes Stores, Fr Larkin admitted the environment for hearing confessions was “unusual”.

“But this is all about what Pope Francis said about going out into the marketplace and meeting the people,” said Fr Larkin. He heard confessions and listened to people’s stories between 2pm and 3pm in what he described as a constant queue.

“The time really flew,” he said.

“I wasn’t too sure what to expect coming down here, but I think it has been a great success.”

Pupils from St Conaires School Shannon singing carols at Skycourt Shopping centre, Shannon, Co Clare, yesterday. Picture: Eamon Ward

Fr Larkin was one of 20 priests to hear confessions from shoppers at four tables dotted around the shopping centre and God’s mercy was in plentiful supply as queues were seen at each of the tables.

Eilís Ni Riada, a Kilmihil native now living in Nenagh, travelled especially from Nenagh to make her first confession in three years.

Before going to sit down with Fr Tom Ryan, the classical music teacher said: “It’s three years since I went and I have been thinking what I have done wrong — maybe missing Mmass on a Clare hurling day out?”

The married mother of three grown up children said: “It is such a healthy environment to make your confession — out in the open in a shopping centre — and we are doing well with the shopping as well.”

Fr Arnold Rosney, St Senans Parish, with Dierdre Willetts, Ballycasey, Shannon, as part of the Mercy on the Mall inititive yesterday at Skycourt Shopping Centre, Shannon, Co Clare.

Waiting to make confession with Fr Larkin, local woman Marie Power said: “What is happening here today is wonderful and it is great that it is taking place in Shannon.”

A Bandon native now living in Shannon, Maureen Meaney, said she had no qualms about making confession in the open. “I haven’t done anything bad, bad, bad and I think it is lovely to get confession while out shopping,” she said.

Following his stint, Fr Brendan Quinlivan said: “To be honest, I am surprised that it has gone so well and that it has been welcomed so positively. I would say a lot of the guys coming down would have been nervous putting ourselves out there and asking myself ‘is it a silly thing to do?’. But really the reaction has been so positive from people, they are delighted to see us.”

The priest who came up with the idea, parish priest of Shannon, Fr Tom Ryan, said that the initiative “has captured the imagination — big time”. “We have Pope Francis to thank for that,” he said.