A sTATue of Our Lady that was placed on an eleventh Night bonfire in west Belfast has been fully restored and handed over to a church in the north of the city. Crumlin-based model maker Michael Doyle
offered to repair the damaged statue after reading in The Irish News about how it was put on the Lanark Way bonfire beside a bottle of beer - the second year in a row a holy statue was put on a loyalist bonfire. Before the fire was lit, a shankill community worker took the 3ft statue and gave it to Fr Gary Donegan, rector of Holy Cross Church in Ardoyne.
Mr Doyle took it away for restoration and returned it to Fr Donegan last night.
The priest said the restoration was a "little miracle". "This week the 69th miracle of Lourdes was officially recognised by the Church," he said. "This is a little miracle for us. "I don't know how Michael managed to restore it. It was very badly damaged."
The statue, whose origin is unknown, may now be placed at the entrance to the Holy Cross monastery