The current economic climate could be linked to a surge in alleged sightings of the Virgin Mary.

The theory is being put forward amidst reports of apparitions appearing outside Dungloe.

Around 15 people gathered at the site in Kerrytown on Tuesday night where a statue of the Blessed Virgin allegedly came to life.

The first sighting of an apparition there dates back seventy years, to 1939.

Deputy Editor with the Irish Catholic is Michael Kelly.

He says there seems to have been a surge in such apparent sightings over the summer and a similar increase was noted during the recession of the 1980s.