'Father Ted' has nothing on reality - Irishman donates bucket as memorial for Pope’s visit

John Joe McCarthy with his bucket  (Photo: Denis Boyle)

Did you ever see the episode about the guy who keeps a bucket for 30 years and creates a memorial to the Pope? Oh no, wait this is reality.

The South Star reported that John Joe McCarthy, a Limerick pensioner, has mounted a plastic 12-inch high bucket on marble, and plans to present it to his former school as a memorial to Pope John Paul II’s visit to Ireland 30 years ago.

McCarthy told the paper “I used the bucket to carry my provisions for the day – my lunch, my camera and my binoculars.” He also used the bucket as a step to steal some choice shots of the Pope passing by.

He now plans to make a presentation of the bucket, along with a note, to the Ahiohill National School.

“I originally wanted to have an inscription put on the bucket, but because it is made of plastic this could not be done. Instead I have written out the background to the story and laminated it. I also have a marble slab on which to display the bucket.”

Ireland officially on four days Easter holidays but how many will go to Church - VIDEO

pics on Sodahead Ireland is officially on a four days weekend for Easter including Holy Thursday, Good Friday and the Easter long weekend but how many Irish will actually be going to Church.

Although information on from the Census released this year shows that 86 percent of the Irish people consider themselves Catholic a vox pop taken last year by RealCatholicTV.com showed that only 1 out of the 24 people said the attend mass regularly.

RealCatholicTV say "The decline of the Church is perhaps felt nowhere more acutely than in Ireland. Once a model of holiness and apostolic zeal, its downfall is a serious wakeup call for The Church in America and other countries."

Here's the footage take outside Trinity College on College Green in Dublin: