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.”