THE UNIVERjSITY 
 OF ILLINOIS 
 LIBRARY 
 
 From the collection of* 
 James Collins, 
 Drumcondra, Ireland. 
 Purchased, 1918. 
 
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Bird’s-Eye View oe Lough Derg, Co. Donegal. 
 
ST. PATRICK’S PURGATORY, 
 
 LOUGH DERG. 
 
 ITS HISTORY, TRADITIONS, LEGENDS, ANTIQUITIES, 
 TOPOGRAPHY, AND SCENIC SURROUNDINGS. 
 
 WITH 
 
 SOME ACCOUNT OF ITS MORE NOTABLE PILGRIMS, AND A 
 DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE AUTHORISED DEVO¬ 
 TIONS PERFORMED AT ITS VENERABLE SHRINE. 
 
 giiT Hitb llciriseb (Sbxtion, 
 
 ■^VlTH JTumerous J^lates and Jelustrations. 
 
 BY 
 
 REV. D. CANON O’CONNOR, P.P., 
 
 OF THE DIOCESE OF CLOGHER. 
 
 All Rights Reserved. 
 
 DUBLIN: 
 
 JAMES DUFFY AND CO., Ltd., 
 
 M. H. GILL AND SON. 
 
 LONDON: BURNS AND OATES, LTD. NEW YORK: BENZIGER BROS. 
 
 And Sold by all Booksellers and Stationers, and at the 'princi'pal 
 
 Railway Book Stalls. 
 
 1895. 
 
©bstat: 
 
 G. H. MURPHY, 8.T.D., 
 
 Censor Theol. Deput. 
 
 Imprimatur: 
 
 ^ GULIELMUS, 
 
 Archiepiscopus Duhlinensis, 
 Hibemioi Primas. 
 
24 ^ 
 
 Oc. § s 
 
 iBctiication. 
 
 -«- 
 
 TO 
 
 ms EMINENCE CARDINAL LOGUE, 
 
 ARCHBISHOP OF ARMAGH AND PRIMATE OF ALL IRELAND, 
 
 ITillU ^ook 
 
 ON THE PILGRIMAGE OF LOUGH DERG, 
 
 IN THE COUNTY OF DONEGAL, 
 
 THAT HOME OF MANY SAINTS, SCHOLARS, AND VALIANT CHIEFTAINS, 
 THE BIRTH-PLACE OF ST. COLUMBA, 
 
 OF THE ILLUSTRIOUS PRINCES OF THE TYRCONNELL DYNASTY, 
 AND OF THE FIRST SUCCESSOR OF ST. PATRICK 
 RAISED TO THE EXALTED DIGNITY OF PRINCE OF THE CHURCH, 
 
 IS, BY GRACIOUS PERMISSION, 
 
 MOST RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED 
 
 BY THE AUTHOR 
 

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THE APOSTOLIC BENEDICTION 
 
 or 
 
 OUR HOLY FATHER, POPE LEO XIII. 
 
 —«— 
 
 “Sr. Isadore’s, Rome, 
 
 ‘‘ September 1879. 
 
 “My Dear Father O’Connor, —This morning the 
 Holy Father favoured us with' a most agreeable audience, 
 which lasted for about an hour. His Holiness treated our 
 unworthiness most graciously and paternally, inquiring 
 about everything connected with the state of religion in 
 the diocese of Toronto, and expressing surprise at the 
 number of our charitable and educational institutions. 
 
 “We took the opportunity to present him with your 
 book on Lough Derg. After reading the Dedication, 
 which was in the Latin language, he said he regretted he 
 could not read the book itself, it being in English. I 
 then briefly described the great pilgrimage of St. Patrick’s 
 Purgatory, telling of the numbers that frequent it, and 
 the penitential exercises there practised. The Holy 
 Father said he had already heard of this pilgrimage; and 
 he expressed great satisfaction at the penances and good 
 works of the pilgrims. I showed the Sovereign Pontiff a 
 specimen of the oaten bread, and lake water used daily by 
 the pilgrims at their solitary meal. Hereupon he shook 
 his head, as if he considered the dietary scale a very low 
 
vi THE APOSTOLIC BENEDICTION OF POPE LEO XIII. 
 
 one. In fine, the Holy Father was pleased to send his 
 thanks for the book, as well as his Apostolic Benediction 
 to yourself, and all others who have a share in the 
 labours of the great mission of Lough Derg. 
 
 “ The shamrock taken with me from the Holy Island, 
 through confinement in my desk, had sickened and lost 
 its leaves, though repeatedly aired by me. I, therefore, 
 could not present it. I left it at the Irish Franciscan 
 Convent of San Isidoro in care of one of the novices, with 
 instructions to foster it, and when sufficiently revived, to 
 convey it to the Holy Father, and have it planted in the 
 Vatican gardens. They are to keep a sprig of it at 
 St. Isidore’s also. 
 
 ‘‘ I must plead my fatigue as excuse for the shortness of 
 this letter, and remain, my dear Father O’Connor, truly 
 yours in Christ, 
 
 “»i‘JoHN Joseph Lynch, 
 
 “ Archbishop of Toronto.” 
 
TESTIMONIALS. 
 
 —^— 
 
 His Eminence Cardinal Newman (then Cardinal-Elect), 
 writing from the Oratory, on 6th April, 1879, says:— 
 
 “ I thank you most heartily for the present of your valuable 
 and interesting work.” 
 
 His Grace,; the Most Rev. Dr. M‘Cabe (afterwards 
 Cardinal), Archbishop of Dublin, writes:— 
 
 “ Your little book on Lough Derg will, I am convinced, do 
 much good. It will help to fill up an interesting chapter in 
 Irish Ecclesiastical history. And, whilst it brings before the 
 minds of your readers the heroic austerity of our fathers, it will 
 shame many cowardly souls, who see in the present mitigated 
 fast of Lent mortification beyond their power to endure. 
 
 “Wishing your book the widest circulation, 
 “ I remain yours sincerely. 
 
 2Sth March, 1879. 
 
 “*5* E. M‘Cabe.” 
 
 His Grace the Archbishop of Cashel thus writes of it:— 
 
 “ My Dear Father O’Connor. —It is time for me to thank 
 you for your very edifying and instructive book about Lough 
 Derg, which you were kind enough to send me. I must visit 
 the place myself; and, when I do, shall make you out, and 
 thank you personally for your kindness. 
 
 “I am, dear Eather O’Connor, 
 
 “Yours very faithfully, 
 
 “ ^ T. W. Croke.” 
 
 The Palace, Thurles, April 2nd, 1879. 
 
Vlll 
 
 TESTIMONIALS. 
 
 “ The Rev. Daniel O’Connor, a young priest of the diocese of 
 Clogher, has put all Irish Catholics under heavy obligations to 
 him for his learned treatise on St. Patrick’s Purgatory of Lough 
 Derg. It is the first that has seen the light in anything like a 
 complete form.” 
 
 From a learned article on Lough Derg written by the 
 Most Rev. Dr. Lynch, Archbishop of Toronto, and pub¬ 
 lished in consecutive numbers of the Toronto Tribune of 
 April, 1879. - 
 
 The late venerated Bishop of Clogher, Most Rev. 
 Dr. Donnelly, after a careful perusal of its contents, thus 
 expresses his approbation :— 
 
 “I have read over your compilation on the Sanctuary and 
 Station of Lough Derg, and have found in it nothing adverse 
 to faith or morals. Its perusal, indeed, has given me con¬ 
 siderable satisfaction; and I conceive that the book may tend 
 to the edification of the faithful, and to the popularity of that 
 grand old shrine, which has been the home of so many saints, 
 the haven of so many sinners, and which we regard as one of 
 the proudest glories of this ancient diocese. One cannot but 
 admire your industry in exploring the records and monuments 
 of past ages, connected with St. Patrick’s Purgatory.” 
 
 Bishop’s Residence, Monaghan, 
 
 ^Oth January^ 1879. 
 
 That learned and distinguished writer. Very Rev. John 
 Canon O’Hanlon, P.P., M.R.I.A., Author of the ‘‘Lives 
 of the Irish Saints,” thus expresses his appreciation of 
 “Lough Derg and its Pilgrimages” in a letter to the 
 author, bearing date 1st January, 1879 :— 
 
 “And now as to Lough Derg, to say I like it vastly is what 
 every reader will say; but, in good truth, I am charmed with it, 
 after a full examination of the proof-sheets, and I predict it will 
 be a highly popular and most admirable guide-book-r-light and 
 lively, learned and scholarly.” 
 
SOME NOTICES AND EEYIEWS OF THE FIRST EDITION. 
 
 —»— 
 
 The Irish Monthly of 1879, writing of it, says :— 
 
 ‘‘ We greet this very interesting little volume with a hearty welcome for 
 two reasons: it treats of a subject interesting in itself, and doubly so to us, 
 because it is Irish, and because it is sacred . . . Hence we are glad to 
 have a full account of this famous place of pilgrimage, written by one who 
 has many qualifications for the task . . . We expected that his book 
 would prove a valuable addition to the historical and antiquarian literature 
 of Ireland, and in this hope we have not been disappointed. Everywhere 
 the writer gives evidence of laborious research, and considerable critical 
 acumen in weighing conflicting authorities.” 
 
 “ The sanctuary on Lough Derg is, we need hardly say, one of the most 
 venerated of Irish shrines. It has been the scene of pilgrimages for 
 centuries, and its fame has penetrated far beyond the boundaries of 
 Ireland. It is hardly creditable that, until within the past few weeks, the 
 history of such a place should remain unwritten, except in so far as it is 
 recorded piecemeal in works dealing with other subjects, and inaccessible, 
 owing to their cost, to the general public. The reproach has, however, 
 been well removed by the publication of “ Lough Derg and its Pil¬ 
 grimages, which Rev. D. O’Connor of the diocese of Clogher has just 
 brought out.”— Nation, ist March, 1879. 
 
 . . . “ Father O’Connor’s interesting book, containing not only a full 
 description of the lake and island in their present state, with a map and 
 illustrations, but also a history of Lough Derg and its pilgrimage in ancient 
 times, and an account of the saints connected with them. The volume is 
 well worthy of perusal, and it has the advantage of being commended to 
 the attention of the public by a letter of the Bishop of Clogher.” . . .— 
 London Tablet, March 8th, 1879. 
 
 “ Father O’Connor, of the diocese of Clogher, has done a work of 
 national importance, and has earned for himself the national gratitude, in 
 presenting to the Irish public his valuable and interesting book on Lough 
 Derg and its pilgrimages. He has lovingly gathered together everything 
 that chronicle, or song, or legend has said or preserved of Lough Derg, 
 and has shown skill, judgment and discrimination in the manner in which 
 he has used the materials he has collected. His book does vast credit to 
 
X 
 
 SOME NOTICES AND REVIEWS 
 
 his industry, his research and his enthusiasm in everything connected with 
 his subject; and we congratulate him on the successful result of his 
 labours.”—Dublin Free 77 ian!s Jourftal, 12th March, 1879. 
 
 “ An opportunity is now afforded of learning all that research and the 
 zealous study of years have as yet made known of this once great shrine by 
 a recent work of a priest of the Clogher diocese. Father O’Connor has 
 done a great service by his publication. He has compiled an amount of 
 information in his volume that is interesting and profoundly instructive . . . 
 In any way we view this book it is interesting in the extreme. It is full of 
 historic facts that a Lord Macaulay could have woven into a romantic 
 essay, but which our author simply details as beams of his argument, and 
 it has given us more pleasure than any volume we have perused for some 
 time past.”—New York Tablet^ 5th April, 1879. 
 
 “ Dealing as it does with subjects both sacred and national in the 
 highest sense of the words, this carefully compiled little volume will be 
 found full of interest to the Irish Catholic . . . Those who desire informa¬ 
 tion on the matter of this pilgrimage cannot do better than peruse this 
 most interesting work, the author of which deserves all praise for the style 
 of his production.”—Cork Exa 77 n 7 iery 15th March, 1879. 
 
 “This little volume deals with one of the most interesting spots in our 
 country. Apart from the beauty of the place itself, one cannot but regard 
 with a feeling warmer than that of mere curiosity, a locality which has 
 drawn to it year by year thousands of fervid pilgrims. Lough Derg is not 
 only a feature in Irish geography, it is also a sacred spot in Irish ecclesi¬ 
 astical history . . . Father O’Connor has done his work well, and having 
 read his book with pleasure, we may predict for it the position of a classic 
 in the literature of Irish pilgrimages.”—Belfast MorTtmg News, 14th 
 Feb. 1879. 
 
 “ The Rev. Daniel O’Connor, C.C., priest of the diocese of Clogher, the 
 author of this most interesting, instructive, and edifying book, and the 
 enterprising and respectable publisher, who has brought it out in such 
 excellent style, have really conferred a most essential service on the read¬ 
 ing public. Devout Catholics of all countries, but more especially Irish 
 Catholics, and the lovers of antiquarian studies in general, will feel the 
 greatest interest and satisfaction in the perusal of its full and accurate 
 accounts of the world-renowned sanctuaries of religion which are so 
 admirably sketched and illustrated in this well-written, historical and 
 descriptive compilation. Father O’Connor deserves the greatest credit for 
 thus supplying a desideratum, which has long been felt in the want of a 
 carefully compiled hand-book of the Pilgrimage of Lough Derg; and we 
 
OF THE FIKST EDITION. 
 
 XI 
 
 sincerely hope that the encouragement which the reverend author may 
 receive from the public will enable him to realise, in that event, his in¬ 
 tention of publishing a new and greatly enlarged edition of the work . . . 
 The principal object of the author in publishing the work, appears to Have 
 been to make known the blessings and graces to be derived from the 
 pilgrimage. But besides attaining this excellent object, Father O’Connor 
 has added one more original and very valuable contribution to our national 
 literature, which in works of antiquarian, historical, topographical, and 
 even devotional interest is, it must be confessed, by no means so well 
 supplied as might be expected from the number of our writers.”—Maurice 
 Lenihan in Limerick Reporter^ 2ist March, 1879. 
 
 There are few places in Ireland associated with such venerable anti¬ 
 quity, and such hallowed memories as Lough Derg . . . But up to the 
 present, there was a want in the field of literature of such a concise 
 authentic history of Lough Derg as would be suitable and likely to find its 
 way into the hands of those who have naturally a desire to possess such a 
 work, and who are almost debarred for many reasons from studying any 
 references to the ‘ Island ’ that are given in some rare and expensive 
 publications. Father O’Connor’s volume, therefore, deserves and is certain 
 to receive a cordial welcome. The rev. author has succeeded in compiling 
 a treatise, plainly the result, first, of a labour of love; second, of much 
 research ; third, of much care and judgment; and fourth, of very respec¬ 
 table size, consisting, as it does, of over two hundred pages, largely 
 illustrated and handsomely bound in green and gold . . . We commend 
 most warmly this excellent work to those of our readers desirous of know¬ 
 ing all that can be told of St. Patrick’s Purgatory.”—Londonderry Journaly 
 14th Feb. 1879. 
 
 “This book, which issued from the press only a few days ago, has 
 already attained a front place in the Catholic literature of the country . . . 
 We shall not anticipate the pleasure which so many of our readers will 
 derive from a perusal of the book itself by further reference to its contents. 
 We shall only say that a book comprising in so narrow a compass, such a 
 variety of interesting matter has rarely come our way. We venture to 
 predict that this book will awaken pleasant memories in many an Irish 
 breast at home and in foreign lands.”—Monaghan People's Advocate, 
 1st March, 1879. 
 

 
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INTRODUCTORY NOTICE. 
 
 —»— 
 
 In the midst of many and engrossing cares I have 
 yielded to the pressiog solicitations of esteemed friends 
 to bring out a new issue of my publication on Lough 
 Derg. Though my opportunities for study and research 
 were not what I might have desired, I am confident 
 the reader will find in the following pages much new 
 matter, and some of great interest. Doubtless there yet 
 remain in its history lacunce to be filled up, upon which 
 in future fresh light may be cast. Whatever profits may 
 accrue from the sale of the book I purpose devoting 
 towards the new Votive Church of the Pilgrimage. 
 
 D. OV. 
 
 Newtownbutler, Gth August, 1895. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 —»— 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 On the Origin and Practice of Pilgrimages • • 1—6 
 
 CHAPTER IL 
 
 Love of the Irish for Places of Pilgrimage—Their Multi¬ 
 plication—Stone Crosses—Holy Wells—Saint Patrick’s 
 Purgatory ...... 7—13 
 
 CHAPTER HI. 
 
 Templecarne—Lough Derg—The Origin of its Name—The 
 
 Lake and its Surroundings . . . 14—23 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Saints’ Island—Its Extent and Appearance—Site of St. 
 
 Dablieoc’s Monastery .... 24—29 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 St. Patrick at Lough Derg—Memorials of him preserved 
 there—St. Dabheoc—His Genealogy—His Austerities— 
 
 His Prophecy regarding St. Coliimba—Traditions of 
 him at Lough Derg .... 30—45 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 Termon-Dabheoc—Its Termon Crosses—Successors of St. 
 Dabheoc—St. Brigid—Ancient Roadway to Lough 
 Derg ...... 46—64 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 Ancient Inscriptions at Lough Derg—Learned Disquisition 
 of the Right Rev. Dr. Graves—The Abbot Patrick— 
 Legends regarding the absence of Salmon from its 
 waters ...... 65—78 
 
XVI 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER yilL 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Probable Destruction of St. Dabheoc’s Monastery by the 
 Danes—Its Colonisation by Augustinian Canons— 
 Pilgrimage of the Knight Owen . . . 79—92 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 Tiernan O’Rourke, Prince of Breffny, on Pilgrimage at 
 Lough Derg—Distinguished Foreign Pilgrims—Narra¬ 
 tive of Jacobus de Voragine . . . 93—104 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 Lough Derg during the Fifteenth Century—Reputed Tragic 
 Occurrence there—The Dutch Monk—Suppression of 
 the Cave by order of the Pope . . . 105—116 
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 Re-opening of the Pilgrimage—The Island of the Purgatory, 
 or Station Island—Its Jurisdiction in whom vested— 
 
 The course of Penance performed there in the Six¬ 
 teenth and Seventeenth Centuries . . 117—128 
 
 CHAPTER XII 
 
 The Magraths of Termon-Magrath—Animosity of the 
 English Government against the Pilgrimage—The Au¬ 
 gustinian Canons Expelled—Ruins on Saints’ Island 
 and descriptive particulars of the same . . 129—146 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 Dr. Kir wan, Bishop of Killala, Pilgrim and Confessor at 
 St. Patrick’s Purgatory—Testimony of the Nuncio 
 Rinuccini in its favour—The Bell of St. Dabheoc— 
 
 Letter of Queen Henrietta Maria in behalf of the 
 Pilgrimage—St. Patrick’s Cross . . 147—159 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 Confiscation of the Lands of Termon-Dabheoc—Writings 
 against the Pilgrimage—The Statute of Queen Anne— 
 Bishop Hugh MacMahon’s Visitation of the Sanctuary 
 —“B. D.”—Dr. De Burgo—Turlough O’Carolan 160—171 
 
COJJTl£NTS. 
 
 XVll 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 PA^lC 
 
 Eighteenth Century Inscriptions on Station Island—Votive 
 Gifts to its Sanctuary—St. Patrick’s Church replaces 
 the Cave—Boat Accidents, especially that of 1795— 
 
 Prior Murray—Review of the Pilgrimage during the 
 Eighteenth Century .... 172—183 
 
 , CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 The Pilgrim Tax—The Ferrymen—Most Rev. Dr. Murphy’s 
 Regulations for the Pilgrimage—Rescript from Rome— 
 
 St. Mar3'’s Church—The Presbytery—Hostile Notices 
 of the Pilgrimage—Priors since the year 1800—Influx 
 of Pilgrims—T. D. M‘Gee’s Poem “Lough Derg” 184—200 
 
 CFTAPTER XVII. 
 
 Routes to Lough Derg—The project of a Shooting Lodge— 
 Thoughts of the Pilgrim on nearing the Lake— 
 Lithographic Views of the Island—The Station Season 
 —Authorised Religious Exercises of the Pilgrimage— 
 Explanatory Remarks on those Devotions—Most Rev. 
 
 Dr. Donnelly petitions the Holy See for Indulgences— 
 
 Copy of the Papal Indult . . . 201—219 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 A New Era for Lough Derg—Many Prelates and other 
 Ecclesiastics visit it—Dr. Croke, Archbishop of Cashel 
 —Dr. Lynch, Archbishop of Toronto—The New Hos¬ 
 pice—The Leslie Litigation—Second Visit of Archbishop 
 Lynch—Unveiling of the Statues of “ Our Lady of 
 Lough Derg,” “ St. Joseph,” and “ St. Patrick” 220—235 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 The healthful Climate of Lough Derg—Peculiar Efficacy of 
 its Station Exercises—The Peace and Happiness ex¬ 
 perienced in this Pilgrimage—Symbolical Meaning of 
 the Station Exercises—Why the Irish heart loves 
 Lough Derg—The Church of the Pilgrimage—Vale¬ 
 dictory—The Pilgrims’ “Farewell Hymn to Lough 
 Derg” - • • t • • ■ 236—246 
 
Itist fff Illustrations 
 
 Bird’s-Kye View of Lough Derg ^ 
 Templecarne Graveyard . 
 
 Saint Dabiieoc’s Seat 
 St. Brigid’s Chair . 
 
 “OR MECI” 
 
 “MANUS COIVANI” 
 
 Ware's Map of Station Island, 1705 
 Saints’ Island, Lough Derg 
 St. Patrick’s Cross, Station Island, 
 Lough Derg, 1876 . 
 
 Station Island, Lough Derg, 1886 * 
 
 page 
 . Frontispiece. 
 . 16 
 . 39 
 
 . 60 
 . 66 
 . 72 
 
 . 124 
 
 Fronting 141 
 . 157 
 
 . 208 
 . 226 
 
 * Both from photographs by Mr. W. Lawrence, Dublin, who with 
 the utmost kindness has permitted me to copy them for my book on 
 Lough Derg. —Ed. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 — ^— 
 
 I HAVE been asked to introduce to the reading public 
 the present edition of “ Lough Derg and its Pilgrimages/' 
 and I very willingly do so, believing that it will help to 
 render still more illustrious the fame of our only National 
 Pilgrimage, and will be the means of bringing within 
 reach of its saving influence many who otherwise might 
 not be attracted to this holy shrine. 
 
 The pious exercise of pilgrimage is as old as religion 
 itself. From the earliest ag^es the Church has never failed 
 to foster and cherish this religious practice. Love and 
 veneration for the places rendered memorable by the life 
 and sufferings of our Divine Lord, of the Apostles, and of 
 the great servants of God in every age, prompted and 
 impelled the faithful to visit in a spirit of religious fervour 
 such favoured and holy places. Among the most ancient 
 and venerated places of pilgrimage throughout the world 
 that of St. Patrick’s Purgatory, Lough Derg, generally 
 credited to have been originated by St. Patrick himself, 
 may be included. Since the days of our National Apostle 
 it has extended its salutary influence not only to the Celtic 
 race, but to pilgrims even from the most distant nations. 
 This Sanctuary, still amongst the most noted in Europe, 
 was visited during the Ages of the Faith by pilgrims not 
 only from every part of these Islands, but from France, 
 
XX 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 Spain, Germany, Austria, and even from Italy itself. 
 Despite the vicissitudes through which it has passed, it 
 still continues to attract many fervent souls; and, though 
 pilgrims of foreign nationalities may be here met with, by 
 far the greater number are of the Celtic race, man}^ of 
 them coming from distant climes, who, in revisiting the 
 land of their birth and of their affections, seldom omit a 
 pilgrimage to the “ Holy Island.” 
 
 In these daj^s of awakened fervour, when the pilgrim- 
 spirit has been so amazingly revived in the Church, and 
 when so many annually leave Ireland, journeying to far-off 
 shrines, to Lourdes, Paray-le-Monial, La Salette, and 
 others, we deem it not unreasonable to remind such 
 persons that there exists within the boundaries of this 
 diocese a sanctuary no less venerable and holy, and of 
 greater antiquity and celebrity, a sanctuary, which is not 
 only one of the proudest glories of this diocese, but one 
 of the brightest of the religious institutions of Ireland. 
 
 I have more than once had the privilege of making a 
 somewhat prolonged stay on the “Island” during the 
 Pilgrimage season ; and the conviction forced upon me on 
 the occasion of each visit was, that nowhere is faith more 
 lively, grace more abundant, repentance more sincere, 
 contrition more hearty, or charity more fervent than 
 among those who, whether for the purpose of securing 
 their reconciliation with God, or of establishing themselves 
 in the practice of the Christian virtues, visit as pilgrims 
 the Sanctuary of Lough Derg. 
 
 For centuries past the Holy See has enriched this 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 XXI 
 
 Sanctuary with many spiritual favours, and to those who 
 perform the pilgrimage it has bestowed a Plenary Indul¬ 
 gence. Hitherto a hand-book, or guide to the pilgrimage 
 was much needed and anxiously sought after. It is gra¬ 
 tifying to find that the want has been at length well 
 supplied by that useful publication, “St. Patrick's Pur¬ 
 gatory, Lough Derg,” written by a worthy priest of this 
 diocese. 
 
 In his preface to the first edition, published several 
 years ago, Canon O’Connor held out the hope that, if the 
 public should extend to his effort a moderate amount of 
 encouragement, he would hereafter “ enlarge the work 
 considerably by adding additional matter, by inserting 
 further engravings, and by supplying a copious index,” or 
 table of contents. 
 
 What encouragement the learned author has already 
 received, is best judged of by the eagerness with which 
 the appearance of the present edition has for some time 
 been expected, while the volume itself speaks sufficiently 
 of the manner in which Canon O’Connor has kept his 
 engagement with the public. 
 
 R. Owens, 
 
 Bishop of Clogher. 
 
 Monaghan, 
 
 4^/i Augud, 1895. 
 
ST. PATRICK’S PURGATORY. 
 
 LOUGH DERG. 
 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 ON THE ORIGIN AND PRACTICE OF PILGRIMAGES. 
 
 1 
 
 N an age of scepticism and unbelief, it is 
 refreshing to turn aside from the busy 
 paths of .the world, in order to contem- 
 plate the sanctuaries of religion and the 
 holy shrines of pilgrimage, round which are 
 encircled the most sacred associations and the 
 most venerable traditions. To rescue them 
 from the baneful effects of neglect, and to place before an 
 admiring public their former fame and lustre, should be 
 deemed a work truly meritorious. 
 
 And since there is nothing so consoling to the human 
 heart as the sweetening influences of religion, those puri¬ 
 fying delights of the senses and of the soul, so there is no 
 other study or reflection more profitable to the mind than 
 the consideration of the holy places of religion, with the 
 records of the virtue and piety of their saintly inmates. 
 Among the countless number of places dedicated to re¬ 
 ligious uses, none can lay such claim to the homage of 
 our veneration as the places of religious pilgrimage—those 
 places purified by prayers and penances of saints, blessed 
 by their labours, sanctified by the sweet odour of their 
 
 A 
 
2 
 
 ST. Patrick’s purgatory. 
 
 virtues, and consecrated anew to that original purity 
 which the world enjoyed before the Fall. 
 
 From the earliest ages men were wont to set apart 
 certain places possessing special features of fitness for 
 divine worship, wherein to pay homage and adoration to 
 God. Nor was natural fitness * considered sufficient for a 
 place to be deemed holy. Over and above all it was 
 necessary that it should receive some title of sanctity and 
 of consecration from God, or from His chosen servants. 
 And highly as we must revere the places blessed by God’s 
 servants, whether angels or men, the deepest veneration 
 of all is due to such places as receive their consecration 
 immediately from God—presenting, as they do, the im¬ 
 press and sign manual, so to say, of God Himself. God 
 has frequently deputed the saints. His servants, to conse¬ 
 crate places to His special service; for, the saint is the 
 living temple of the Holy Ghost; he diffuses on all sides 
 the salutary example and influence of virtue; his friends 
 love and cherish his memory, and revere for his sake the 
 very places with which are associated his pious actions, 
 his prayers and austerities. Even after he quits the 
 scene of this life, men are drawn by the memory of the 
 sweet attractions of his virtues round his grave, and thus 
 his last resting-place comes to be invested with the 
 character of holiness. Hence it is that not only natural 
 fitness and selection, but also prayer, penance, pious 
 custom, sacred ceremony, and above all, some special 
 manifestation of holiness, whether by consecration on the 
 part of God Himself, or through the instrumentality of 
 His servants, combine to confer upon a place a distinctive 
 
 * In a work written by an Oratorian, Rev. P. de Rivik’es, and 
 entitled “ Holy Places, their Sanctity and Authenticity ” (London, 1874), 
 the various essentials necessary to render a place holy, and in conse- 
 - quence a resort for pilgrimage, are fully dealt with. 
 
LOUGH DERG. 
 
 3 
 
 character of sanctity, and render it a fit resort for pil¬ 
 grimage. 
 
 Such holy places there have been from the beginning, 
 in which men were wont to converse familiarly with God, 
 as did Moses on Mount Sinai. Many of those sacred 
 places, likewise, have become lost to memory, such as 
 the places reputed sacred during the patriarchal times, 
 the places dignified by the visions of several of the 
 prophets, and not even a few of the places rendered 
 notable by the miracles of our Divine Lord and His 
 Apostles. 
 
 In every age of the world and among all nations there 
 have been pilgrimages. Even the Pagans had shrines of 
 pilgrimage; as, for instance, those of Jupiter Tyrius at 
 Gades, Jupiter Capitolinus at Rome, and Apollo at 
 Delphi. The Druids had their sacred groves. The 
 Mahometans make pilgrimage to the tomb of the arch¬ 
 impostor, Mahomet, at Mecca. In the Old Law there 
 were Levitical cities and retreats, which God set apart for 
 Himself in Israel; and the Jews were accustomed to 
 journey at fixed periods to the Temple of Jerusalem, 
 which was their chief place of pilgrimage. But, to the 
 New Law, in which religion received its full perfection 
 and development, was it reserved to establish the practice 
 of pilgrimages as an exercise of Christian piety. In those 
 pious journeys the holy places at Jerusalem, and the 
 various scenes rendered for ever sacred in connection with 
 the life and passion of our Blessed Saviour, occupy the 
 foremost position. Next in order rank the shrines of the 
 Madonna, especially the Holy House of Loretto in Italy, 
 and, since the event of 1858, the grotto of Our Lady at 
 Lourdes, and numerous other shrines of hers in many 
 lands. After these come the tombs of the Apostles, 
 SS. Peter and Paul at Rome, while next in order follow 
 
4 
 
 ST. PATRICK’S PURGATORY. 
 
 the chief places of pilgrimage in every country, in Ireland 
 St. Patrick’s Purgatory at Lough Derg holding the most 
 prominent rank. 
 
 The Abbe Receveur, in his Discours sur VHistoire 
 Ecclesiastique, * writes thus on the development of 
 pilgrimages:— 
 
 “One can readily understand how the spirit of devotion 
 came to attract people to the places sanctified by the presence 
 and by the passion of our Saviour. This respect for the holy 
 places and for the tombs of the Apostles gave rise to pilgrim¬ 
 ages. They began in the early ages; for, we learn that St. 
 Alexander, who became bishop of Jerusalem, journeyed from 
 Cappadocia to visit the holy places. The freedom granted to 
 the Church, and the discovery of the true Cross, rendered 
 pilgrimages more easy and more frequent. St. Cyril of Jeru¬ 
 salem, St. Jerome, and the historian Sozomene testify that during 
 the fourth century the holy places were visited by multitudes of 
 pilgrims, who had recourse to them from all the nations of the 
 earth. This devotion continued after Palestine had fallen into 
 the hands of the Mussulmans. 
 
 “ As to the tombs of saints and martyrs, people came to them 
 even from a great distance, not only on festival days, but at 
 other times also. Every one knows how celebrated had come 
 to be pilgrimage to Rome, to the tombs of the holy Apostles, to 
 the tomb of St. Martin at Tours, to that of St. James at Com- 
 postella, etc. Princes, bishops, monks, and religious of every 
 order showed great zeal in carrying out this practice of devotion. 
 The custom, also, became gradually established during the 
 eighth century of imposing a pilgrimage by way of penance. The 
 Council of Chalons, held in 813, under Charlemagne, whilst 
 approving of the practice, warned against abuses of it.” 
 
 The Ages of Faith were the golden age of pilgrimages. 
 It is stated by Hallam, a very prejudiced writer, that 
 
 * Tom. IX. (D), p. 447. 
 
LOUGH DERG. 
 
 5 
 
 daring the eleventh century more pilgrims went to Jeru¬ 
 salem than at any previous time; and writing of the 
 Crusades, he says “ they were martial pilgrimages on an 
 enormous scale.” * 
 
 Our holy mother the Church (whilst approving of the 
 practice of pilgrimage as a potent incentive to a devout 
 life, and acknowledging that God frequently bestows His 
 favours, graces, and miracles at particular shrines to 
 honour certain mysteries, angels, or saints,) has always 
 guarded with the most zealous care those holy places. 
 Next to the deposit of Divine faith, and the persons of 
 her sacred ministers, there is nothing she so much 
 cherishes as those sanctuaries. In order to guard them 
 she has enacted much provident legislation; and against 
 such as would despoil or profane them she hesitates not 
 to inflict the severest censures. 
 
 Regarding the holy places of Palestine,*!* we read that 
 the Saracens inflicted such indignities upon the pilgrims 
 thereto, as to inflame the indignation of Christendom. 
 To obviate this difiiculty. Pope Urban II. summoned the 
 Council of Clermont in 1095, and here the first Crusade 
 against the Mussulmans was published. That great enter¬ 
 prise was preached with extraordinary zeal throughout 
 Western Europe by Peter the Hermit; and the result of 
 it and the subsequent Crusades was that the holy places 
 were placed in the custody of religious orders, and became 
 again accessible to pilgrims. 
 
 The so-called Reformation of the sixteenth century, 
 
 * Europe during the Middle Ages, p. 608. 
 
 t Eusebius fully describes the pilgrimage of St. Helena, mother of 
 Constantine the Great, to the holy places at Jerusalem, and her dis¬ 
 covery of the true Cross in the early part of the fourth century. 
 Adamnan, abbot of Iona, also wrote a work, “De Locis Sanctis,” based 
 on the narrative of a French bishop, Arculfus, who visited Jerusalem 
 in the seventh century. 
 
6 
 
 ST. Patrick’s purgatory. 
 
 with the wars and countless calamities occasioned thereby, 
 rendered it impossible in man}^ countries for pilgrimages 
 to take place as of old. But, as those bitter animosities 
 are happily passing away, thanks to the enlightenment of 
 the age in which we live, the world is again directing its 
 attention to a study of the early Christian ages, and the 
 early Christian practices, and, amongst the rest, the 
 practice of pilgrimage.* And thus it is that many of the 
 early pilgrimages, suppressed by the Protestant Refor¬ 
 mation, are again becoming revived, and putting forth 
 renewed life and vigour, just as the seedling buried deep 
 in the earth during winter will start into life under the 
 genial influence of spring, and clothe itself in verdure 
 after the storms have passed away. 
 
 The motives for undertaking a pilgrimage are briefly 
 the following :—1st, To enliven faith and feelings of piety 
 in the soul by visiting those places in which the Divine 
 power is specially manifested. 2nd, In fulfilment of a 
 vow. 3rd, In order to obtain some particular favour or 
 blessing through the intercession of the tutelary saint of 
 the place. And 4th, in fulfilment of some penitential 
 obligation, whether self-imposed, or enjoined by one’s 
 spiritual guide. 
 
 * “ The increase in the number of pilgrimages and pilgrims is one of 
 the most remarkable facts in current history. The pilgrims to Rome 
 numbered 55,000 persons, chiefly workingmen. Lourdes had this 
 season 280,000, La Salette, 120,000, and St. Anne d’Auray, 53.000. 
 Montmartre, the new shrine overlooking Paris, is visited every week 
 by between 5,000 and 10,000 pilgrims. The crowd at Treves, which is 
 made up of all classes and nationalities, has nearly reached 2,000,000. 
 In England there are pilgrims, but tlieir numbers are not large. Six 
 hundred and eighty visited the tomb of A’Beckett at Canterbury, and 
 worshipped at the spot where he suflered death. Last week 250 persons 
 went in pilgrimage to Holywell in Wales, and there has been an 
 immense concourse of pilgrims at ‘Gougane Barra,’ the tomb of St. 
 Pinbarr, in County Cork. The Empress of Austria is going on a 
 pilgrimage to Loretto .”—From Irish Catholic^ Oct. 10, 1891. 
 
LOUGH DERG. 
 
 7 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 LOVE OF THE IRISH FOR PLACES OF PILGRIMAGE—THEIR 
 MULTIPLICATION—STONE CROSSES—HOLY WELLS— 
 
 SAINT PATRICK’S PURGATORY. 
 
 HAT the children of the Irish race were 
 
 largely endowed with the pilgrim spirit is 
 sufficiently attested by the great number of 
 places of pilgrimage throughout that country. 
 In its zeal for the holy places the early Irish 
 Church spread the network of sanctity over the 
 whole extent of the land. Much might be 
 written on pilgrimages made by the children of Erin 
 not only to the shrines of devotion in their own country, 
 but also to the famous pilgrimages of the Continent and 
 of the Holy Land. A few instauces out of many will 
 amply prove the existence of pilgrimages as a religious 
 institution even in the earliest ages of the faith in Ireland. 
 The following pilgrimages are noted in the Annals of the 
 Four Masters :— 
 
 “A.D. 610. Gorman.on his pilgrimage at Cluain- 
 
 mic-nois.” 
 
 “ A.D. 704. Beg Boirche took a pilgrim’s staff.” 
 
 “ A.D. 753. Gorman died at Clonmacnoise on his pilgrimage.” 
 
 “A.D. 767. ISTiall Frosach died at Hy-Colum-cille on his 
 pii grimage.” 
 
 “A.D. 777. Artgall went to Hy on pilgrimage.” 
 
 “A.D. 786. Ardgal, son of Cathal, king of Connaught, died 
 at Hy on his pilgrimage.” 
 
 “ A.D. 825. Not well we have taken Eoghan in preference to 
 any pilgrim in Ireland.” 
 
8 
 
 ST. PATRICK’S PURGATORY. 
 
 “ A.D. 834. Aedhagan, abbot of Louth, died on his pilgrim¬ 
 age at Clonmacnoise.” 
 
 “ A.D. 869. Maenghal, the pilgrim, abbot of Bangor, died.” 
 
 “ A.D. 885. Anauloen, the pilgrim, came to Ireland with the 
 epistle.” 
 
 Two saints connected with the diocese of Clogher, viz., 
 St. Molaise of Devenish and St. Endeus, afterwards of 
 Arran, made pilgrimage to the tombs of the Apostles in Rome. 
 
 In Eugene O’Curry’s MS, Materials of Irish History 
 (p. 380, et seq.)y we find a learned notice of the Litany of 
 Aenghus the Culdee. The Litany begins thus :—“ Three 
 
 times fifty pilgrims who settled in Ui-Mele . invoco 
 
 in auxilium meum per Jesum Christum.” 
 
 “The other thrice fifty pilgrims of Rome and Latium, 
 who went into Scotia (as Ireland was then called), invoco 
 in auxilium per Jesum Christum.” 
 
 Aenghus goes on to recount countless numbers of men, 
 lay and ecclesiastical, who left Erin on pilgrimage to the 
 Holy Land under SS. Ailbhe, Brendan, etc. The Litany 
 was compiled about the year 798, and hence we can 
 safely infer that the practice of pilgrimage was a general 
 and cherished institution during the three hundred years 
 that intervened between the time of St. Patrick and the 
 invasion of the Danes. In the same learned work of 
 Professor O’Curry we find (pp. 76, 77,) an account of a 
 pilgrimage to the Holy Land undertaken by three students 
 of Maelsuthain O’Carroll, who was preceptor and counsellor 
 of Brian Boroimhe, and who lived towards the close of the 
 tenth century. However legendary this narrative may 
 be, it emphasises all the same the practice of pilgrimages 
 as then existing. 
 
 The foregoing instances abundantly attest the practice 
 of pilgrimages as existing in the early Irish Church. Of 
 the prevalence of this pious practice during the middle 
 
LOUGH DEKG. 
 
 9 
 
 ages we have more abundant records. In Dr. Lynch’s 
 Camhrensis Eversus (Chap. 25), the names of many 
 Irish ecclesiastics, and the dates of their pilgrimages, will 
 be found commemorated. Duald M‘Firbis, quoted by 
 O’Donovan (“Four Masters,” p. 944), gives details of the 
 great pilgrimage undertaken in the year 1445 to the city 
 of St. James in Spain. During the years of Jubilee 
 large crowds of the children of St. Patrick visited the 
 shrines of the Apostles. While even the distant sanctu¬ 
 aries of the Holy Land, rendered for ever sacred to the 
 Christian heart by the life and passion of our Blessed 
 Saviour, were frequently visited with reverent devotion by 
 many pilgrims from Erin. 
 
 Pilgrimage to Crosses and Holy Wells once was, and 
 to a considerable extent still continues to be, a very 
 popular and cherished devotion among the Catholics of 
 Ireland. Of those Crosses and Holy Wells many were 
 blessed by the saints, whose names they bear; while 
 others were dedicated to them and placed under their 
 tutelage. On the vigil or festival of the saint, under 
 whose invocation they were placed, the faithful made 
 pilgrimage to them, and went through a prescribed course 
 of devotional exercises. In an ancient life of St. Columb- 
 kille, preserved in the LoAbliAp bpeAc, it is said of him :— 
 “ He blessed three hundred miraculous crosses. He blessed 
 three hundred wells, which were constant.” 
 
 The frequentation of those holy places became a matter 
 of supreme difficulty after the reign of persecution had set 
 in. Such was the unrelenting suppression of all Catholic 
 observances that it would be difficult to understand how 
 this pious practice could have, to any extent, survived. 
 Thus it is that many of those cherished spots have come 
 to be forgotten, together with the interesting circum¬ 
 stances and traditions connected with them. The partial 
 
10 
 
 ST. PATRICK’S PURGATORY. 
 
 extermination of the Celtic race, and the introduction of 
 new settlers, with new habits and ideas, contributed, like¬ 
 wise, to hasten the decline of this time-honoured practice. 
 Abuses, also, in some instances crept in, having their 
 origin in the penal times, which rendered those gatherings 
 objectionable to the ecclesiastical authorities; and, in con¬ 
 sequence, many of those pilgrimages were discontinued. 
 ‘‘Much, however,” writes the Rev. Dean Cogan in his 
 History of the Diocese of Meath, “of the poetry of 
 religion, of the chivalry of lively faith, much that was 
 grand and romantic in the heartfelt devotion of a truly 
 Catholic people, is intertwined with the history of the 
 Holy Wells in Ireland.” 
 
 According to O’Kelly {Descrip, Hib. p. 40), there were 
 four principal places of pilgrimage in Ireland, one in each 
 of the provinces; namely, St. Patrick’s Mountain (Croagh- 
 Patrick) in Connaught; his Purgatory in Ulster; St. 
 Michael’s Rock in Munster, i.e., Skellig-Michael, off the 
 coast of Kerry; and St. Kevin’s Bed at Glendalough in 
 Leinster. His words are :— 
 
 “ Cumulus Sancti Patritii in Conatia ; 
 
 Purgatorium in Ultonia; 
 
 Petra Sti. Michaelis in Momonia ; 
 
 Lectus Sti. Kaini in Lageiiia.” 
 
 Among these St. Patrick’s Purgatory has always held 
 the foremost place, and over all the others it must be 
 regarded as by pre-eminence the National Pilgrimage of 
 Ireland. Many circumstances contributed to give pro¬ 
 minence to Lough Derg among the holy places of this 
 island. The antiquity of its origin, which dates back to 
 our National Apostle; its course of penance, which at the 
 present day, even in its mitigated form, finds no parallel 
 in the Christian world; the many saints and anchorets 
 
LOUGH DERG. 
 
 11 
 
 who found there a very desert of seclusion; the number 
 of pilgrims in every age, and of every rank and condition 
 of life, who there trod the hard road of penance; these 
 and many other circumstances, perhaps of still greater 
 force, have caused it to be esteemed as the most notable 
 pilgrimage of the Irish Church. Its fame, too, has been 
 greatly enhanced by the persecution with which it was 
 assailed by the so-called Reformers. Around it, as though 
 the last citadel of Religion in Ireland, lashed the fury of 
 English and Scotch apostasy; special Acts of Parliament 
 were passed for its total suppression; honours and rewards 
 for its abolition were offered during several reigns to 
 bishops of the Protestant Establishment, and other ad¬ 
 venturers ; and the whole power of the State was brought 
 to bear on this ancient sanctuary, with a view to its total 
 extinction. 
 
 The oldest existing institution of the Irish Church is 
 the pilgrimage of St. Patrick’s Purgatory. It forms a 
 connecting link between the days of St. Patrick and the 
 present time. The penitential exercises of this pil¬ 
 grimage constitute the most venerable, and, perhaps, the 
 only authorised surviving instance of the early Irish 
 religious observances and penitential discipline—a disci¬ 
 pline under which so many saints and scholars flourished. 
 This pilgrimage has been always regulated and conducted 
 by the ecclesiastical authorities. It has never been in¬ 
 terrupted, at least for any notable time. Primate Hugh 
 MacMahon, writing of it in 1714, says:—‘‘ Whilst every¬ 
 where else throughout the kingdom the ecclesiastical 
 functions have ceased, by reason of the prevailing perse¬ 
 cution, in this island, as if it were placed in another orb, 
 the exercise of religion is free and public, which is to be 
 ascribed to a special favour of Divine Providence, and to 
 the merits of Saint Patrick.” 
 
12 
 
 ST. Patrick’s purgatory. 
 
 During the middle ages poetic imagination and romance 
 had invented a very erroneous and misleading* picture of 
 St. Patrick’s Purgatory, That it was so called because of 
 any similarity between its exercises and the sufferings of 
 the Purgatorial state hereafter, or because of its local 
 proximity to it, no one will for a moment admit. 
 
 A plausible reason for its being called St. Patrick’s 
 Purgatory is given in a Louvain treatise of the 17th 
 century, called the Mirror of Penance. We are there 
 told how St. Patrick removed from the distractions of the 
 world into that gloomy 'oepc, or cave; and there prayed 
 that the pains of Purgatory might be revealed to him. 
 His request was granted. St. Patrick was so much awed 
 by this vision, that he departed from the cave, and ordered 
 that henceforth the island should be made a terrestrial 
 purgatory, where sinners could atone for their sins by 
 prayer and fasting. 
 
 For the origin of the Purgatory, designated by St. 
 Antoninus Patricide Procurationis, a different cause is 
 assigned by Mathew of Paris, whose opinion is followed 
 by Denis the Carthusian and St. Antoninus. These 
 authors state that St. Patrick, first Apostle of Ireland, 
 when preaching the Gospel in that kingdom, found the 
 people most reluctant to believe his words. They told 
 him that they would not be converted to Christ unless 
 he would show them those pains and pleasures of the 
 future life of which he preached. The Saint prayed long 
 
 * In a geographical treatise, entitled Image du Monde, composed by 
 Gnatier de Metz, a writer of the 12th century, may be found an instance 
 of such exaggeration and misrepresentation. He says :—“ In Ireland 
 there is a place from which day and night issues fire; it is called the 
 Purgatory of Saint Patrick, and if any persons enter it without having 
 repented they are immediately carried off, and no one can tell what has 
 become of them. But if they have confessed and repented, they will 
 pass through many torments, and be purified of their sins.” 
 
LOUGH DERG. 
 
 13 
 
 and fervently for that favour. Thereupon, having obtained 
 the power of being able to manifest to the people the 
 truth of his words, he struck the earth with his pastoral 
 staff, forming with it the Sign of the Cross,^ and imme¬ 
 diately a deep pit or cave opened up, into which those 
 who might enter truly repentant and remain there one 
 whole day and night would be cleansed of the offences of 
 their whole life. 
 
 The origin of the name, however, is sufficiently ac¬ 
 counted for by the fact that St. Patrick selected this 
 island for the performance of those works of penance, for 
 which he was so remarkable, and that so many saints and 
 pious pilgrims imitated his example; the island in con¬ 
 sequence being called St. Patrick's Purgatory, or place of 
 penance. This meaning is conveyed in the following sweet 
 lines taken from Denis Florence MacCarthy’s translation 
 of Calderon’s Purgatory of St. Patrick :— 
 
 “ Where although ’tvvas plain they suffered. 
 
 Still they looked with joyous faces, 
 
 Wore a peaceable appearance, 
 
 Uttered no impatient accents ; 
 
 But with moistened eyes uplifted 
 Towards the heavens, appeared imploring 
 Pity, and their sins lamenting— 
 
 This in truth was Purgatory.” 
 
 * In the writer’s possession is a work written by Don Jehan Peres 
 de Monteluan, and translated from the Spanish by F. A. S. Chartreux 
 (Brussels, 1659), which has for its title. La Vie Admirable du Grand 
 S. Patrice, Patriarche D'Hihernie, avec VHistoire veritable de son Jamenx 
 et taut renomme Purgatoire, in which there is an engraving representing 
 our Saviour standing beside St. Patrick, who holds his pastoral staff, 
 and beneath him appears an open pit in which souls are represented in 
 their purgatorial state immersed in a pool of liquid fire. 
 
14 
 
 ST. Patrick’s purgatory. 
 
 CHAPTER HI. 
 
 TEMPLECARNE—LOUGH DERG—THE ORIGIN OF ITS NAME- 
 
 the lake and its surroundings. 
 
 X.- I 
 
 OUGH DERG is situated within the parish 
 of Templecarne, barony of Tyrhugh, County 
 of Donegal, and diocese of Clogher. It 
 distant some four miles from the little 
 town of Pettigo, which is a station on the 
 Enniskillen and Bundoran line of railway. 
 Proceeding from Pettigo to Lough Derg one 
 cannot fail to observe at some distance to the left of the 
 roadway the churchyard of Templecarne, from which the 
 parish, including Lough Derg, derives its name. Of 
 Templecarne we find but the following solitary notice in 
 the Annals of the Four Masters under the year 1497:— 
 “ O’Donnell, i.e. Hugh Roe, resigned his lordship on the 
 kalends of June, being Friday, at Templecarne, in the 
 Termon, in consequence of the dissensions of his sons.” 
 
 It is a remarkable coincidence that it was in this very 
 year the Edict of Pope Alexander VI. ordering the closing 
 of the Cave on the island of Lougli Derg, was put into 
 force. Scarcely a vestige of this old church of Termon 
 Magrath now remains. The walls have been completely 
 demolished; and it is no easy matter to trace their outline 
 and dimensions, which we ventured to accomplish by 
 taking the hollow space in the centre as the interior of 
 the church, and the higher elevations on each side of it 
 as the positions of the walls. Like most of the medieval 
 churches its position was from east to west, and its 
 
LOUGH DERG. 
 
 15 
 
 measurement about 66 by 22 feet. After a convenient 
 custom, then commonly adopted, the Protestant settlers 
 of the Termon appropriated this church to their own 
 purposes, and it so continued to be used until a Protestant 
 church was erected in the town of Pettigo. For ages has 
 its churchyard been used as a place of sepulture by Pro* 
 testants and Catholics alike. A substantial wall encloses 
 it; and a convenieut path and gateway make it easy of 
 access to the Lough Derg pilgrim whom curiosity may 
 induce to turn aside for the sake of visiting it. The 
 visitor to Templecarne will be struck with the number 
 and variety of its monuments, on some of which strange 
 heraldic devices and quaint inscriptions are carved. 
 Marking a grave in Templecarne may be seen an object 
 of much interest, being part of one^ of the termon-crosses 
 which marked the boundary of Termon-Dabheoc. That 
 learned antiquarian, Mr. Wakeman, holds that it is as old 
 as the ninth century; and closely resembles, though of 
 smaller size, the termon-crosses of Tullagh, Co. Dublin. 
 We shall have more to add later on regarding this remark¬ 
 able cross. If we may credit local statements, quite a 
 number of the gravestones of Templecarne belonged 
 originally to the church and monastery on Saints’ Island, 
 Lough Derg. 
 
 Within the precincts of Templecarne churchyard, and 
 at its western extremity, may be seen, as shown in the 
 
 * The termon-cross, of which this is a fragment, stood on the hill of 
 Drumawark, about one mile in a direct line to the north-east of Temple¬ 
 carne. The fragment in question includes the head of the cross and a 
 small portion of the shaft. Its pedestal portion measures 1 foot 4 inches. 
 The cross from the circular band upwards is 2 feet; the arms being but 
 11 inches in width. A small part of this circlet has been broken off, 
 and the head of the cross itself is shattered ; but the parts are put 
 together in a very clumsy manner by cement. 
 
16 
 
 ST. patkick’s pukgatory. 
 
 accompanying illustration, a well preserved specimen of a 
 “ bohogue,” having an altar table of masonry. During 
 the penal days ‘‘bohogues” or huts of this description 
 served as substitutes for chapels. They afforded accommo¬ 
 dation merely for the altar and the celebrant, and were 
 commonly availed of for the celebration of the divine 
 mysteries in many parts of the north of Ireland, even 
 within the memory of persons yet living. The “ bohogue 
 in question is sheltered by a hood-like covering of rubble 
 
 masonry, and measures from floor to centre of arch, 
 7-J feet; width at entrance, about 6 feet; depth, feet; 
 depth of altar table, feet. From this old churchyard 
 can be had an extensive and varied view of Lough Erne 
 and its many islands, with the Fermanagh and Leitrim 
 mountains forming an imposing back-ground to a picture, 
 which has hardly a parallel in this land of scenic charms. 
 In the neighbourhood of Templecarne the chief objects of 
 interest are, the fort, or Up, on the summit of Drumawark 
 
LOUGH DERG. 
 
 17 
 
 Hill, which will be fully explained hereafter; also inega- 
 lithic remains in the bownland of Tamlaght; and a Holy 
 Well in the neighbouring townland of Cullion. 
 
 Lough Derg is stated to have been known in ancient 
 Erin under the name of Finloch, or the Fair Lake. That 
 there was another Finloch, where Lough Erne now unfolds 
 its spreading waters, would appear from the following 
 extract taken from O’Flaherty’s Ogygia :— 
 
 “ Fordremanus, Finloch, Lochlurgan, stagna vetusta, 
 
 Quos, quam culta prius, fudit lerna lacus.” 
 
 The supposition that it was called originally Finloch 
 appears to rest on the authority of a legend * regarding 
 St. Patrick and the serpent. Should we set aside that 
 legend, it would clearly follow that the name of the lake 
 had been always Lough Derg. 
 
 There are two different versions to account for the 
 origin and meaning of the name. Lough Derg. One is 
 founded on a legend which describes how a frightful 
 serpent, spreading terror and destruction far and wide, 
 inhabited this locality; how St. Patrick on his arrival put 
 it to death; and how the water of the lake was dyed red 
 by its blood; and that thus the lake, which was previously 
 
 * The legend of the serpent and the change of the name of the lake, 
 in consequence of its death at the hands of “Conan the bold,” are 
 referred to in an ancient poem, called the “Finnian Hunt on the 
 borders of Lough Derg,” and published in the Transactions of the 
 Ossianic Society, Vol. VI., p, 155. I extract the following stanzas :— 
 
 “A serpent there was in the Lough of the mountain, 
 
 Which caused the slaughter of the Fianna ; 
 
 Seventy hundred or more 
 It put to death in one day. 
 
 Fionn-loch Deirg was the name 
 
 Of this lake, in the beginning, 0 Just Cleric {i.e. St. Patrick] ; 
 
 But Lough Dearg remained since that time. 
 
 From the slaughter of the Fianna on that day.” 
 
 B 
 
18 
 
 ST. Patrick’s purgatory. 
 
 called Fionn, i.e, fair or clear, came to be called 
 which signifies red.* 
 
 The above derivation is not accepted by O’Donovan, 
 who pronounces himself incredulous as to those legends 
 and local traditions. He says:—“ I am quite satisfied 
 the name of the lake is not Loch-Dearg, i.e. Red Lough, 
 but Loch-Deire, which means the Lough of the Cave.” 
 This opinion derives much confirmation from the way in 
 which it is found written in early notices. It is there 
 called Loch Gere, and Lough Gerg; and the district in 
 which it lies was called Glinn-Deirg.f 
 
 That the waters of Lough Derg bear a reddish tinge t 
 to the present day is beyond all doubt. The cause of 
 this, abstracting from the aforesaid legend, is not far to 
 seek. In the first place, the streams supplying the lake 
 fiow over a wide stretch of bog and moorland. In addition 
 to this, numerous chalybeate springs throughout the 
 lake and around its shores are constantly sending forth 
 streams of reddish liquid, thus tinging the lake with a 
 deeper dye. To these mineral springs may be traced 
 
 * This legend, though in substance the same, is differently told by 
 O’Donnellan in his notes to the Four Masters ; by Dr. O’Donovan in his 
 Donegal Letters, preserved in the Royal Irish Academy; and in a short 
 notice and sketch from the pen and pencil of Wakeman in the Pictorial 
 World of 28th August, 1875. 
 
 t The late Rev. John Francis Shearman, in his Loca Patriciana, 
 adopts the same view. 
 
 X The iron tinge imparted to the water, and its agreeable taste when 
 taken in a warm state, led to its being known among the pilgrims by 
 the name of “wine.” To the present day this “wine” is the chief 
 beverage used by the pilgrims while engaged in the Station exercises. 
 The large “Copper” formerly used for boiling the lake water, and 
 devoted to that purpose for 150 or 200 years, lies rusting on the 
 island, the modern innovation of boarding houses and tea kettles 
 having discarded its occupation. Being such a useful relic of the past, 
 it has been dignified with being noticed on the Ordnance Map of the 
 island. 
 
LOUGH DERG. 
 
 19 
 
 much of the healthful and palatable * qualities of the 
 water of Lough Derg. 
 
 Reserving for another place a description of the ancient 
 roadways to Lough Derg, as well as of the modern routes 
 to the place, I shall now briefly describe the lake, its 
 islands, its situation and surroundings. 
 
 Lough Derg is an extensive sheet of water, covering an 
 area of 2,200 statute acres, with about thirteen miles of 
 circumference. It measures about six miles in length, 
 from the south-eastern extremity near the Ferryhouse, to 
 the river Fluchlynn, which flows into the lake at its north¬ 
 western boundary; while its greatest width, taken from 
 Portcreevy to the river Derg, which flows from the lake 
 at its north-eastern side, is fully four miles. It is sur¬ 
 rounded by a chain of mountains, some of which rise to a 
 considerable elevation above the level of the lake. The 
 Rev. Caesar Otway, in his Donegal Sketches^ and •)* other 
 writers after him, from whom we might expect a more 
 impartial if not so graphic a description, say there is no 
 grandeur in the scenery of Lough Derg, no variety in its 
 outline, its mountains without elevation, its shores without 
 cultivation, and neither tree nor green-spot to relieve the 
 aspect of the place. That this is a very unfair and dis¬ 
 torted picture any unprejudiced visitor will readily admit. 
 For, though the aspect of the place is severe and lonely. 
 
 * That the remarkable properties of the water of this lake did not 
 escape the observation of former writers is shown by the following 
 extract from Bouillon’s translation of Montalvan (Lyon’s Ed., Chap. 
 III., p. 88):— 
 
 “ There is an island in a deep lake in the north of Ireland, the water 
 of which, according to the report of those who have travelled thither, 
 besides its unusual sweetness, possesses the latent virtue of augmenting 
 the natural heat of the stomach.” 
 
 t In this category may be placed J. B. Doyle’s Tours in Ulster (Dublin, 
 1854.) 
 
20 
 
 ST. Patrick’s purgatory. 
 
 and thus well becoming the requirements of a penitential 
 retreat, nature has not been sparing of scenic attractions 
 round this ‘‘ Mystic Island.” Here, indeed, you have all 
 the charms of Highland scenery, and much in addition. 
 
 The extensive sheet of water, enclosed by rocky shores 
 and studded by numerous islands, presents a view truly 
 picturesque. In the background the mountains form a 
 bold and prominent feature, rising in some cases abruptly 
 from the water’s edge, in others gently receding; and, 
 whilst jealously excluding the slightest glimpse of the 
 outer world, they confine the view to the overarching 
 heavens, the true home of the pilgrim. Though heath 
 be here the prevailing robe of nature, the landscape is 
 relieved of much of its wild and stern aspect by occasional 
 patches of trees and shrubs, with many a bright slope and 
 green-sward and wooded island, not to speak of the many 
 hamlets, with cultivated fields, bearing evidence of toil 
 and industry. But above and beyond all, the traditions 
 and associations of the place impart to it a charm and 
 attraction, which no beauty of scenery can supply. 
 
 The lake stands about 450 feet above the level of the 
 sea. Its immense basin has retaining capacity for a vast 
 body of water, and so prevents the destructive effects of 
 sudden floods on the lowlands bordering on the river 
 Derg; whilst as a reservoir it must afford water-pow'er for 
 the propelling of endless machioery, when the industrial 
 resources of our country shall come to be developed. 
 Of the mountains, which stand as sentinels round the 
 lake, the highest is Croagh-Kinnagoe, to the south-east, 
 with an elevation of 1,194 feet; Ardmore and Oughta- 
 dreen, to the north, 1,086, and 1,071 feet respectively; 
 the mountains to the south and west not reaching an 
 elevation of 1,000 feet. 
 
 The chain of hills towards the south of the lake forms 
 
LOUGH DERG. 
 
 21 
 
 one of the chief water-sheds of this part of the province ; 
 all the streams flowing south of this chain fall into Lough 
 Erne, while the streams flowing northward empty into 
 Lough Derg, and thence into the sea at Lough Foyle. 
 
 “ The basin of the lake is a huge quarry of metamorphic 
 rock, known as schist, upheaved in ages azoic by some 
 fiery agent, so that the stratification is now almost per¬ 
 pendicular to the surface. It crops up all round the 
 shore, and through the lake, into numerous rocky islets 
 and hidden reefs, whose projecting points are sharp as 
 iron spikes, and render the navigation of the lake a 
 matter of great caution.” * 
 
 Lough Derg consists of two large sheets of water, which 
 may be termed the upper and lower lakes, connected by 
 three channels, formed by Saints’ Island, and an islet 
 lying north of it, latterly known as “ Wildgoose Lodge.” 
 
 The chief streams flowing into Lough Derg are the 
 rivers Fluchlynn f and Barderg, which empty into the 
 upper lake towards its western extremity. 
 
 * See an able article in the Irish Monthly,, January 1878, from the 
 scholarly pen of Bishop Healy. 
 
 + The visitor to Lough Derg will be greatly pleased by a trip to the 
 river Fluchlynn, and by following the course of that rivulet for some 
 distance towards its source in Augh Keen mountain. Especially after 
 a rainfall does it appear to advantage, rushing with great force down 
 steep precipices. The rocks, through which it has cut its passage, 
 present some fine crystallizations and semi-transparent felspar, while 
 here and there rare plants of the genus jiora delight the eye. On 
 reaching the very summit of the mountain the scene that meets the view 
 defies description. Northwards stretches the Blue Stack range of 
 mountains, with Slieve League peering out at its western extremity. 
 Westward sparkle in the sun the waves on the broad Bay of Donegal. 
 Rounding southwards we see the Sligo and Leitrim mountains with the 
 familiar and frowning cliffs of Benbulben. Whilst completing the 
 circle, we have a full view of holy Lough Derg nestling in peaceful 
 solitude at our feet, and inviting us to speed our return to its peni¬ 
 tential island. 
 
22 
 
 ‘ ST. Patrick’s purgatory. 
 
 Lough Derg is bespangled with numerous and pictu¬ 
 resque islands, some crowned with shady trees and shrubs, 
 some bared to the mountain breezes. The principal of 
 these islands are Inishgoosk (now called Bilberry Island), 
 Saints’ Island, Station Island, Friars’ Island, Allingham 
 Island, Kelly’s Isles, Goat Islands, near the river Fluch- 
 lynn ; Derg-More Island, Derg-Beg Island, near the mouth 
 of the river Barderg; Trough Island and Bull’s Island. 
 In addition to these are several other islets with no parti¬ 
 cular designation. For the most part they are mere 
 groups of barren rocks, where cranes, cormorants and 
 sea-gulls nestle, imparting by their wild and plaintive 
 screams a lonely and romantic charm to this penitential 
 retreat. 
 
 Saints’ Island would appear to have been sometimes 
 called St. Fintan’s Island, but the name by which it was 
 generally known during the early Christian ages was 
 St. Dabheoc’s Island. Of the islands above enumerated 
 Inishgoosk bears the most Celtic sound, and it may be 
 taken to mean the island of the creek or cove, on account 
 of its formation at the western side. In point of extent 
 or area, Inishgoosk is the largest of the islands of Lough 
 Derg, containing 13 acres, 2 roods, and 24 perches; while 
 Station Island ranks but eleventh, as it comprises only 
 3 roods and 26 perches, statute measure.* In point, how¬ 
 ever, of historical interest and celebrity. Station Island 
 occupies the foremost place. Saints’ Island ranks next in 
 importance, while the other islands t of Lough Derg merit 
 little attention on the part of the pilgrim or historian. 
 
 Lough Derg, ’mid its surroundings of mountain and 
 
 * During dry seasons the measurements of these islands will show a 
 larger area. 
 
 t In the entire lake are 46 islands, the combined area of which is 
 55 acres. 
 
LOUGH DERG. 
 
 23 
 
 moorland, presents from all points of view a singularly 
 unique and pleasing prospect. There, as if floating on 
 the surface of its waters, sits Station Island, with its neat 
 churches and presbytery, its handsome and commodious 
 hospice, and the various other buildings, with which, in 
 the distance, it seems to be completely occupied: whilst 
 the picture is heightened by the crowds of ardent votaries, 
 moving about on the island, engaged in their devotional 
 exercises, and the boats plying hither and thither with 
 their freight of coming or departing pilgrims. A sight so 
 sacred and solemn, and so hovel to the beholder, is calcu¬ 
 lated to make the deepest impression on his mind, and to 
 call up in after-life the most pleasing memories. The 
 view of mountain, lake and island, so harmoniously 
 blended, fascinate the eye of the pilgrim. His step 
 becomes, as it were, spell-bound ; for he instinctively feels 
 that the island, which at length meets his gaze, is sacred 
 ground:— 
 
 “ So like a temple doth it stand, that there 
 The heart’s first impulse is to prayer.” 
 
 Great, indeed, is the natural aptitude of the place for 
 its sacred purpose. Solitude, so dear to the servants of 
 God, there reigns supreme. The surrounding mountains 
 stand like huge sentinels round this island sanctuary, 
 forming at the same time a barrier against the contami¬ 
 nating influences of the outer world. The late T. D. 
 M‘Gee, in a poem entitled “ Dream Journeys,” thus crystal¬ 
 lises the thought:— 
 
 “ The sacred strand our fathers’ feet 
 Have often trod, I nightly view, 
 
 The island of the Saint’s retreat 
 Amid the mountains of Tyrhugh.” 
 
24 
 
 ST. PATRICK’S PURGATORY. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 saints’ island—ITS EXTENT AND APPEARANCE 
 ST. DABHEOC’S MONASTERY. 
 
 SITE OF 
 
 'WO miles north-west of Station Island lies 
 Saints’ Island, anciently called OiieAn-riA- 
 nAorh, and more anciently still, St. Dab- 
 heoc’s Island. In pre-Reformalion times 
 there stood on Saints’ Island a venerable 
 convent of Augustinian monks. The island is 
 oval in form, and rises on every side in gentle 
 gradation from the lake, its highest elevation being about 
 fifty feet above water level. 
 
 Saints’ Island bears evident traces of tillage, and of 
 having been turned to profitable account in the days when 
 the Canons Regular of St. Augustine were denizens of the 
 place. Even the soil of the island seems to have shared 
 in the ruin and desolation with which ruthless hands 
 visited its churches and cloisters. It is overgrown with 
 coarse herbage, ferns and rushes; while on the western 
 side especially a thick growth of heather shows it to have 
 relapsed into its original wild state. Luxuriant weeds 
 shadow the ruins of the sacred enclosures, church, monas¬ 
 tery and cemetery. The island has few trees * or shrubs, 
 if we except some slender ash trees, and some venerable 
 hawthorns, which are truly remarkable for their hoary and 
 aged look. A dense cluster of hawthorns shelters the 
 
 * It is said the “lord of the soil,” when planting Ballymacavanny 
 hill, near the ferryhouse, had it in contemplation not only to “ afforest ” 
 Saints’ Island, but also to erect a shooting lodge thereon. Fortunately, 
 neither scheme has been put into execution. 
 
LOUGH DERG. 
 
 25 
 
 ruins of the monastery at the eastern extremity of the 
 island; and, from the gray dark moss adhering to their 
 branches, they appear to date from the time those build¬ 
 ings were destroyed. 
 
 On the southern slope of the island were situated the 
 convent gardens, which are still easily discernible from 
 their enclosures, as well as from their superior fertility. 
 In winter those gardens present a more striking contrast 
 with, the rest of the island by reason of their verdure. 
 Flowers, too, and herbs are known to grow there which are 
 not to be found throughout the surrounding islands and 
 mountains. 
 
 The eastern half of the island was laid out in fields, as 
 the remains of strong earthen fences or enclosures denote. 
 A numerous colony of rabbits burrow in those fences, and 
 as they skip about in every direction contribute not a 
 little “to lend enchantment to the scene.” 
 
 The western half of the island appears to have been 
 used as a “common” for pasturage. The soil here, 
 from exposure to western storms, seems very poor; still, 
 though in great part overgrown with heath and rushes, 
 its furrowed surface bears indications of its having yielded 
 to the spade and ploughshare. The grass and hay grown 
 on Saints^ Island are said to be so rank and unwholesome 
 as to be most noxious to cattle. Formerly, I have been 
 informed, cattle and sheep were put to graze there, but 
 the mortality which set in among them awakened their 
 owners to the dangers of the situation. And thus, fortu¬ 
 nately, the sacred precincts and ruins on Saints’ Island 
 are no longer trampled upon and profaned by the beasts 
 of the field, which elsewhere in so many instances have 
 inflicted sad injury upon the ancient monuments of our 
 country. 
 
 In the early ages of the faith in Ireland there prevailed 
 
2G ST. Patrick's purgatory. 
 
 a custom, borrowed from the Pagan period, of erecting a 
 circular earthen fort, or enclosure, close to, but more 
 frequently round the religious houses. Thus in Father 
 O’Hanlon’s Life of St. Fanchea {Lives of the Irish 
 SaintSy Vol. L), we read how her brother St. Endeus 
 raised with his own hands around his sister’s nunnery 
 at Kossory in Fermanagh a large mu]\, or earthwork, 
 strengthened by deep circular fosses, the remains of which 
 are still to be seen. And Wakeman, in his Antiquities 
 of Devenishy says that nearly all the primitive church- 
 sites in Fermanagh bear traces of such circumvallations. 
 From personal observation, at least as to several of them, 
 1 can fully endorse that statement. Near the Abbey of 
 Devenish, on Lough Erne, stood a strongly fortified rathy 
 remains of which are still evident. The same may be 
 said of Possory, Iniskeen, Aghalurcher, etc. Outside 
 Fermanagh the same custom equally prevailed. At 
 Clogher and Clones religious houses were founded, for 
 economy sake, beside pre-existing forts. A circular 
 earthwork of this class exists near the summit of Saints’ 
 Island, and adjoining the cemetery at its western side. 
 It is intersected by the western boundary wall of the 
 cemetery, but enough of this primitive construction yet 
 remains outside that enclosure to leave little room for 
 doubt as to its character and purpose. From careful 
 investigation I find, judging from the western part of the 
 Up, which is still intact, that its shape, like that of the 
 island itself, was elliptical. The portion outside the 
 cemetery measures 65 yards in circumference. A lesser 
 arc of this oval enclosure lies within the cemetery, the 
 boundary wall of which measures 31 yards, and this may 
 be taken as the diameter of the original fort. The 
 measurements of the cemetery are thus 31 yards in 
 length, and its width 27 yards. Within the portion of 
 
LOUGH DERG. 
 
 27 
 
 the iif still extant, we may infer the cells of the monks 
 were erected; and in that part of it enclosed within the 
 cemetery the church founded by St. Dabheoc stood, the 
 ruined cell * or oratory yet visible, though in a very 
 ruinous state, marking in all likelihood the tomb of 
 St. Dabheoc himself. Within this same tomb, may we 
 reasonably infer, sleep the remains of many of the saints 
 and abbots of this island hermitage. Three aged thorn 
 bushes (besides which there are no other trees or shrubs 
 in the cemetery), one on the eastern and two on the 
 west side of the oratory or mortuary chapel, shelter the 
 saints’ remains, as if with providential care, and tend 
 to point out the place where they await the final resur¬ 
 rection. 
 
 It appears strange, indeed, that this interesting object 
 escaped the notice of the Ordnance Survey Party, and 
 even of Dr. O’Donovan f himself, who visited the island 
 in 1835. Had he devoted more of his time and attention 
 to this locality, much that is now hopelessly lost, or left 
 to conjecture, might have been brought to light. 
 
 I entertain a firm conviction that the monastery founded 
 by St. Dabheoc on Saints Island stood within this very 
 earthen fort, and that here his order fiourished from the 
 time of St. Patrick until the introduction of the Canons 
 Regular of St. Augustine. 
 
 * Before the demolition of the buildings on Saints’ Island by orders 
 of the Government in 1632, we may suppose that St. Dabheoc’s Oratory 
 was a well-preserved and sightly edifice, mayhap stone-roofed, and not 
 unlike the still-existing oratory of St. Molaise in the island of Innis- 
 murray, off the coast of Sligo. 
 
 t He came to Lough Derg, as he tells us in his Donegal Letters, on 
 the 28th October 1835, and on Hallow-eve following, he wrote from 
 Ballyshannon an account of his visit to the lake, “having derived,” as 
 he wittily remarks, “no other benefit from his turas save a severe 
 cold.” 
 
58 
 
 ST. Patrick’s purgatory. 
 
 The purpose of those earthen circumvallations seems to 
 have been, 1st, to shelter the religious houses from the 
 storms; 2nd, to serve as places of observation within which 
 watch and vigil might be kept; and 3rd, as keeps and 
 fortifications against marauding parties. We need not 
 be surprised that so few remains—nay, even traces—of 
 the original monastery are extant when we take into 
 account that most of the religious edifices of the period 
 were built of wood. On this subject, Dr. Lanigan, in his 
 Ecclesiastical History of Ireland (Vol. lY., p. 391), 
 writes:— 
 
 “ Prior to the twelfth century the general fashion was to 
 erect their buildings of wood, a fashion which in great part con¬ 
 tinues to this very day in several parts of Europe. As, conse¬ 
 quently, their churches were usually built of wood, it cannot 
 be expected that there should be any remains of such churches 
 at present.” 
 
 With regard to the plan and arrangement of the 
 ancient Irish monasteries, I cannot do better than submit 
 the remarks of the learned antiquary, Dr. Petrie, who in 
 his Round Towers^ p. 146, says:— 
 
 “ It is clear that in the earliest monastic establishments in 
 Ireland, the abbot, clergy, and monks had each their separate 
 cells, which served as habitations; and that such other houses, 
 as the house for the reception of strangers, the kitchen, etc., 
 were all separate edifices, surrounded by a cashel, or circular 
 wall, and forming a kind of monastery or ecclesiastical town, 
 like those of the Christians in the East; and known among the 
 Egyptians by the name of Laura.” 
 
 Around Saints’ Island there is an air of loneliness and 
 desolation which is painfully affecting. Silence still as 
 death reigns over its sacred precincts, where once the 
 prayer of the pilgrim and the pious chant of the monks 
 
LOUGH DERG. 
 
 29 
 
 ’mid ceremony and sacrifice resounded. Of this island 
 we may repeat with truth what was said of “ Arran of the 
 Saints,” that the living God only knows the number of 
 holy ones who here await the resurrection of the just. 
 
 Standing on this holy spot, for centuries the home of 
 St. Dabheoc’s monks, for centuries later the abode of 
 St. Augustine’s Canons, and looking out on the sanctuary 
 of St. Patrick’s Purgatory, which during the middle ages 
 became “the most famous shrine of penance and purifica¬ 
 tion in Western Europe,” the prayer of Eman Oge (Poems 
 by D’Arcy M‘Gee), recurs to memory:— 
 
 “ God of this Irish isle, 
 
 Sacred and old, 
 
 Bright in the morning smile 
 Is the lake’s fold; 
 
 Here where Thy Saints have trod, 
 
 Here where they prayed, 
 
 Hear me, O saving God! 
 
 May I be saved !” 
 
so 
 
 ST. Patrick’s purgatory. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 ST. PATRICK AT LOUGH DERG—MEMORIALS OF HIM PRESERVED ' 
 THERE—ST. DABHEOC—HIS GENEALOGY—HIS AUSTERITIES— 
 HIS PROPHECY REGARDING ST. COLUMBA—TRADITIONS 
 OF HIM AT LOUGH DERG. 
 
 T is a question much controverted among 
 Irish hagiologists, whether St. Patrick, our 
 national Apostle, ever visited Lough Derg; 
 and if so, whether the pilgrimage takes its 
 origin from him, or from another saint of the 
 same name, called Patrick Junior, or the Abbot 
 Patrick, who flourished, according to the autho¬ 
 rity of Sir James Ware, about the year 850. 
 
 We may admit, with O’Donovan, that there does not 
 exist historical or written evidence of St. Patrick’s visit to 
 Lough Derg; but it would be rash to conclude from the 
 want of such evidence that he did not visit it. In the 
 absence of positive historical records, there are grounds of 
 presumption so strong as to bring with them conviction. 
 In the first place, there exists a vivid and continuous 
 tradition, that he visited it for deeds of penance, for 
 retreat and silent prayer; and, seeing that the Irish race 
 have always regarded their patron saint with the most 
 affectionate veneration, and have carefully treasured up, 
 and handed down from generation to generation, the 
 minutest particulars regarding his life and labours, we 
 should attach great importance to this tradition. 
 
 Again, Dr. Lanigan records how St. Patrick, being in 
 Tyrconnell, went back eastwards towards Lough Erne. 
 
LOUGH DERG. 
 
 31 
 
 As this course would conduct through the very locality in 
 which Lough Derg is situated, may we not suppose that 
 he then visited it, saw its suitability for a place of retire¬ 
 ment and penitential exercises, and that he there and 
 then inaugurated it as such. The words of an old office 
 of St. Patrick, give colour to such a supposition :—“ Hie 
 €st doctor henevolus, Hihernicorum Apostolus, cui loca 
 purgatoria ostendit Dei gratia;’" i.e. that God, by a 
 special favour, pointed out to St. Patrick certain places 
 adapted for penitential exercises, such as Lough Derg 
 certainly is. 
 
 St. Patrick’s sojourn in this locality is thus described 
 in the Vita Tripartita, Part IL, where it is said:— 
 ‘‘St. Patrick went to Es-Duaidh. He desired to establish 
 himself there, where Disert-Patrick is and Lec-Patrick. 
 Cairbre opposed him, and sent two of his people, whose 
 names were Carbacc and Ouangus, to seize his hands. 
 ‘Not good is what you do,’ said Patrick; ‘if I were per¬ 
 mitted to found a place here, the second to Rome of 
 Latium, with its Tiber running through it, would be my 
 establishment with its Es-Ruaidh through it; and your 
 descendants would be comarbs in it’ ” After leaving 
 Ballyshannon, St. Patrick proceeded through Tyrhugh, in 
 which Lough Derg lies, on his way northwards. The 
 journey is thus mentioned in the Tripartite Life of the 
 Saint:— 
 
 “After Patrick had blessed the Cinel-Conaill, and had 
 left a blessing on their forts and rivers and churches, he 
 went into the country of Eoghan, the son of Niall, across 
 Bernas of Tir-Aedha into Magh-Ita.” On this journey it 
 is not unlikely that he visited Teach-Dabheoc on Lough 
 Derg. And, as his visits to that retreat were chiefly for 
 the purpose of self-mortification and penance, we need not 
 wonder if, through a sense of humility, he made no allu- 
 
ST. PATRICKS PURGATORY. 
 
 32 
 
 sioD to his prayer and fasting in that desert-place, where^ 
 like another Moses, he renewed his strength to guide his 
 people on their mortal pilgrimage to the promised land. 
 
 Furthermore, the constant devotion to St. Patrick 
 observed at this pilgrimage, the church there dedicated to 
 him, his cross, his cave, his bed of hard penance, the 
 name which has been universally assigned to the pil¬ 
 grimage, viz., St. Patrick s Purgatory,* are all so many 
 traditions and proofs in favour of his having hallowed by 
 his presence this retreat, and of having originated those 
 penitential exercises which the pious votaries to its shrine 
 have ever since so lovingly practised. 
 
 Although the narrative of the monk Henry of Saltrey 
 contains many exaggerations, his statement with regard to 
 St. Patrick’s connexion with this pilgrimage cannot be 
 lightly set aside. Henry lived in the twelfth century. 
 
 Reference has been already made to a Life of St. Patrick written 
 in Spanish by Jehan Perez de Monteluan, and translated into French 
 by two writers, who evidently were unaware of each other’s labours in 
 the same field. One of these was Pere Bouillon—a Franciscan, whose 
 translation was published at Lyons in 1674. The other merely gives 
 the initials “F. A. S.” Chay'treuse a Bruxelles (1659). It would be an 
 interesting study to compare the translations of both, which widely 
 diSer in many respects. In both of these versions is to be found a 
 verse of a Latin hymn, which the Irish Church used to chant in 
 memory of St. Patrick’s Purgatory, and of which the “ Farewell Hymn 
 to Lough Derg,” latterly in vogue, may be regarded as the counter¬ 
 part. In the Brussels translation a French rendering of the Latin 
 hymn is added. The Latin hymn and its French version are here set 
 forth in order :— 
 
 “ Magni Patris sunt miranda merita Patricii: 
 
 Cui Dominus ostendit locum Purgatorii. 
 
 Quo viventes se expurgent delinquentes JiliiP 
 
 “ Cette cave est le lieu, que Patrice gadis, 
 
 A reqexL et laissi pour veoir le Purgatoire: 
 
 Qxd en fort est tout net, et non moins plein de glohe, 
 avoir vaincu Venfer et vexi le ParadisP 
 
LOUGH DEKG. 
 
 33 
 
 and related what he had heard from Gilbert of Lud, and 
 chiefly the wonderful things that had happened to Owen, 
 an Irish soldier, who was courageous enough to enter this 
 cave. Henry of Saltrey says:—“ The Lord brought St. 
 Patrick into a desert-place, and there showed him a round 
 
 cave, dark within.And since the pilgrim is there 
 
 purged of his sins, the place is named the Purgatory of 
 St. Patrick.’’ 
 
 Also, it may be added, that St. Patrick has been alw'ays 
 referred to as the founder of this penitential retreat. 
 Now, whenever St. Patrick is referred to simply, and 
 without any qualifying epithet, it is our national Apostle 
 that is meant; whilst the other Patrick is always called, 
 as if to distinguish him from the Apostle of Ireland, the 
 “Abbot Patrick,” or “Patrick Junior.” 
 
 The question as to whether the pilgrimage takes its 
 origin from St. Patrick, the Apostle of Ireland, hinges on 
 the fact of his actual visit to Lough Derg. For if, as we 
 hold for certain, our patron saint did visit the place, then 
 it is fair to suppose that his spiritual children flocked 
 thither subsequently to follow his example in the austeri¬ 
 ties he there practised, thus constituting it a place of 
 pilgrimage. 
 
 In a rare work, called Vita Sti, Patritii a Jacoho de 
 Voragine, sen Lombardica Historia (printed at Nurem¬ 
 berg, anno 1482), the following is given as the origin of 
 the pilgrimage:— 
 
 “ Cum heatus Pafritius per Hiberniam prcedicaret et fructum per- 
 modicum faceref, rogavit Dominum ut aliquod signum ostenderet per 
 quod vel territi pceniterent. Jussu igitur Dei circulum magnum in 
 quodam loco cum haculo designavlt, et ecce terra infra circulum se 
 aperuitj et pufeus magnus et profundissimus ibidem apparuif, 
 Revelatumque est beato Patritio quod ibidem quidem purgatorii 
 locus essetj in quern quisquis vellet descendere, alia sibi poenitentia 
 
 c 
 
34 
 
 ST. Patrick’s purgatory. 
 
 non restaret, nec aliud pro peccatis purgaforiurn sentiret. Plerupm 
 autem inde non redirent, et quot redirent eos a mane usque in 
 sequens mane ibidem moram facere oporteret. Multi igiiur ingre- 
 diebantur qui de coetero non revertebant.” 
 
 That the place became famous as a hermitage and 
 place of penance long anterior to the time of the Abbot 
 Patrick is sufficiently clear from this fact alone, that the 
 names of two, probably three, of its abbots are on record 
 (St. Dabheoc, St. Cillene, and St. Avil or Abel), who 
 governed it in earlier times. As to St. Dabheoc,* Colgao 
 says St. Patrick left him at Lough Derg, in Donegal, in 
 charge of a church, which in subsequent ages became 
 famed as the Purgatory of St. Patrick. And the Rev. 
 John Francis Shearman,*in his learned work, styled Loca 
 Patriciana, says, “ that Colgan’s statement about Dabheoc 
 is well-founded; for, when St. Kevin was at the school of his 
 relative. Bishop Eoghan of Ardstra, St. Dabheoc, or Bioc, 
 then in extreme old age, paid frequent visits to this 
 - seminary ” at Ardstraw, which he could easily do, owing 
 to the proximity of his retreat at Lough Derg. Hence, 
 while the weight of authority forces us to infer that 
 this penitential retreat was originated by St. Patrick, it 
 may be said that his disciple St. Dabheoc, by his severe 
 penances and austerities, imparted great celebrity to this 
 retreat and further attraction to its pilgrimage. 
 
 Of him Colgan writes:—He is called Dahheocus in 
 general, and often Beoanus in Latin. He is the patron of a 
 very celebrated church in a certain lake in Ulster, called 
 Loch-Gerg, in which is that celebrated Purgatory of St. 
 Patrick, whence either the lake itself, or the place in which 
 it lies, is called Gleann-Gerc, where in the adjacent country 
 
 * Dabheoc, when divested of its adjuncts clo and oc is tlie same as 
 Aedh, or Hugh. In the Martyrology of Tallagh under January 1st, 
 the entry is given thus, “Aedh, Lochaderg, alkc-^ Dabheoc.” 
 
LOUGH DERG. 
 
 35 
 
 St. Dabheocus is held in the greatest veneration to the 
 present day, and his festivity is observed three days in 
 every year, according to our Festilogies, viz., on the 1st of 
 January, 24th of July, and 16th of December. The 
 Calendar of Cashel places his festival day only on the 
 15th December. It is related in the beginning of the 
 Irish Life that he had foretold several things about the 
 holiness and virtues of St. Columba many years before the 
 latter was born, from which it follows that he flourished 
 in the time of St. Patrick. He is ranked among the chief 
 saints of Ireland by Cummian.” 
 
 Colgan traces the pedigree of St. Dabheoc to Dichu, 
 St. Patrick’s first convert, from which he infers that he 
 was of the race of the Daljiatachs, and that his country 
 lay about Lecale, in Down. Other authorities trace his 
 iin eage and birthplace to Wales. 
 
 It appears, however, there were two saints of the name 
 of Dabheoc, one of them being Dabheoc, son of Bracan, 
 a Cambrian. His parentage is thus given by Canon 
 O’Hanlon, Lives of the Irish Saints (Vol. I., No. 1): 
 
 St. Dabheog was the son of Brecan, or Bracan, who 
 ruled over a territory in Wales, formerly denominated 
 Brechonia, or Brechinia. The parents of Bracan were his 
 father Bracha, or Bracmeoc, an Irish-born prince, and 
 Marcella, a noble British lady.” It must have been the 
 Cambrian St. Dabheog who predicted the birth of St. 
 Columba, born 7th December 521. Father O’Hanlon 
 narrates the prediction in his work already referred to, 
 thus:—When St. Dabeog had here ” (probably at Lough 
 Derg) ‘‘ protracted his vigils to a late hour one night, in 
 company with his clerics, a wonderful brightness appeared 
 towards the northern part of the horizon. The clerics 
 asked their master Avhat it portended. ‘ In that direction, 
 whence you have seen the brilliant illumination,’ said 
 
86 
 
 ST. PATRICK’S PURGATORY. 
 
 Dabheoc, ‘ the Lord Himself at a future time shall light a 
 burning lamp, which, by its brightness, must miraculously 
 glorify the Church of Christ. This shall be Columba, the 
 son of Feidlimid, son of Fergus, and whose mother shall 
 be Ethnea. For learning he shall be distinguished; in 
 body and soul shall he be chaste; and he shall possess the 
 gift of prophecy.’ ” This St. Dabheoc * was brother to St. 
 Canoe, who lived towards the close of the fifth century. 
 The Cambrian St. Dabheoc it was who was the con¬ 
 temporary, and probably the disciple, of St. Patrick; and 
 it is very likely he lived at Lough Derg, and fixed his 
 habitation on Saints’ Island, long known as St. Dabheoc’s 
 Island. 
 
 The special patron, however, of Lough Derg was the 
 Irish St. Dabheoc, who flourished about the year 610. 
 The late Father Shearman, following the authority of 
 Colgan, thus gives the pedigree of Dabheoc :— 
 
 Trichim I of the Dalfiatach 
 
 Dichu 
 
 converted by St. Patrick, circa 450, 
 afterwards a monk 
 
 Derblis 
 
 1 , 
 
 Tala 
 
 .1 
 
 Dibrogh 
 
 1 . 
 
 Lnanim 
 
 Beoan or Dabheoc 
 
 * Father Shearman suggests that “Bioc, or Beoanus (October 26th or 
 28th), of Glen-Geirg, is perhaps the same as Beoan, bishop of Tamlact 
 M‘Nainn” (there is a Tamlaght near Lough Derg, but M^Nainn would 
 suggest some place near Lough M'Nean), “and of Loch Brictenn (Loxx^i 
 Brickland ?).” 
 
LOUGH DERG. 
 
 37 
 
 The genealogy of the Saint is also given in the 
 Naem$enckus LeAblM-ii b^eAc thus:— 
 
 “ T)Abeo5 ^bnui ^ein^ c]ux 
 
 tn<^c bu Arum trie'OibiAO^A 
 
 1Tlc UaLa tile *Oi|ibbiy yib 
 
 ITlc'Oicon 'Po]^ THc ■C]uchirn.” 
 
 It is manifest from the foregoing genealogy that Saint 
 Dabheoc, patron of Lough Derg, must have lived about 
 the close of the sixth, or beginning of the seventh century, 
 since four generations intervene between him and Dichu, 
 St. Patrick’s first convert. To the austerities practised 
 by this saint, Cummian of Connor refers in a poem on the 
 characteristic virtues of the Irish Saints. This poem, with 
 its English version, may be found in the Martyrology of 
 Tallagh, edited by the late Pev. Mathew Kelly, D.D., of 
 Maynooth College. The stanza on Dabheoc runs thus:— 
 
 “ Mobheog,* the gifted, loved, 
 
 According to the synod of the learned, 
 
 That often in bowing his head, 
 
 He plunged it under water.” 
 
 It is worthy of remark that the aforesaid penitential 
 act has been practised for many centuries at our pilgrim¬ 
 age : even still it is performed by the pilgrims in a modified 
 way. 
 
 Next to St. Patrick, the special patron of Lough Derg 
 is St. Dabheoc. There were three feasts annually observed 
 at Lough Derg in his honour—on the 1st of January, the 
 24th of July, and the 16th of December respectively. 
 
 * Mobheoc is the same as Dabheoc ; mo and do being prefixes denoting 
 afiection, and meaning “my Beoc,” or my little or Hugh, the 
 
 affix og signifying yoimg, or little. These particles are often found in 
 connection with the names of Irish saints. 
 
38 
 
 ST. PATRICK’S PURGATORY. 
 
 Those festivals commemorated three important epochs in 
 his career—probably his birth, his installation as abbot, 
 and his holy death. Down to Father John Colgan’s time 
 those three festivals seem to have been observed in the 
 neighbouring districts, as well as on the island itself, but 
 for the past two centuries they have fallen into disuse. 
 At the present day, indeed, the only one of those festivals 
 which might be observed is that of the 24th of July, 
 as during the occurrence of the others the island is 
 unfrequented. 
 
 We have already seen that the site of the monastery, 
 founded here by St. Dabheoc, is marked by the old Up, 
 which is still discernible on Saints’ Island. The name 
 of St. Dabheoc is perpetuated in the townland denomi¬ 
 nation of Seeavoc, a townland bordering on the southern 
 extremity of the lake. Seeavoc (puiuhe x)Abheo 5 ) signi¬ 
 fies St. Dabheoc’s seat; and this stone seat may yet be 
 seen in the vicinity of the lake. It is marked on the 
 Ordnance Map of the townland. The way towards it is 
 difficult and precipitous. Sailing from Station Island, or 
 from the ferry-house, to the south-western expansion of 
 the lake, the visitor will observe a little quay, or landing- 
 place, about midway between “ St. Bridget’s Chair ” and 
 Portcreevy. Ascending in a direct line from this point 
 up the mountain-side, he will reach a cairn-shaped mound 
 on the summit of the mountain. Here may be observed 
 a stone seat having a grave-like opening* immediately in 
 front of it. The “ seat ” stands at the northern end of 
 this opening, and has a southern aspect, so that, being- 
 seated therein, you should have Lough Derg behind you, 
 and in front a view of Lough Erne. The sides of the 
 
 o 
 
 * The cavity, or pit in front of “ St. Dabheoc’s Seat,” measures in 
 length 3 feet; in depth it is 2 feet 8 inches ; its average width is 2 feet; 
 but the opening gradually slopes to a width of one foot at the bottom. 
 
LOUGH DEKG 
 
 39 
 
 opening are built up with large stones, which in process 
 of time have slided inward, reducing the enclosed space 
 so much that at present one person can kneel there only 
 with some difficulty. The earthwork rises higher on the 
 western side of the ‘‘seat,” probably to afford shelter from 
 the Atlantic breezes ; and there must have been originally 
 a hood or covering over it to protect the occupant from the 
 storms to be met with at such an elevation. Sitting in 
 
 this recess the lake lies in the background, whilst the view 
 in front embraces the mountain range running southward 
 to Lough Erne, with the valley along which the ancient 
 roadway to the pilgrimage wound its way. Standing up, 
 however, and looking northward, we have a full view of 
 Lough Derg, and no better standpoint can be found for a 
 clear and comprehensive survey of the sanctuary and all 
 its surroundings. 
 
40 
 
 ST. patiuck’s purgatory. 
 
 At the period to which this “seat” is attributed the 
 habitations of the Irish were very rude. Cave-like and 
 beehive-shaped constructions (traces of which are still to be 
 seen along the western coast of Ireland) were used as 
 places of abode by the anchorets of the period. The shape 
 of the “ seat/’ and its antique mode of construction are 
 the best evidences of its antiquity, and of its having been 
 used by St. Dabheoc for the two-fold purpose of a seat, 
 or retired place of meditation, and of a cave in which to 
 do penance. At this early period not only was veneration 
 paid to the saint’s cell, but also to his cross, his bed of 
 penance, and his cave. Thus we learn that amongst the 
 objects connected with St. Kevin in the County of Wicklow, 
 his cave at Glendalough is yet traditionally venerated. 
 On this mountain top at Lough Derg the holy Dabheoc 
 detached himself from earthly considerations, and drevv 
 nearer to his Creator by the exercise of works of penance 
 and mortification, which were hidden indeed from the 
 eyes of his fellow-men, but recorded in the Register of 
 God. 
 
 We need not wonder that the saints so loved to fix 
 their haunts among mountains, seeing that they are such 
 fitting types of power and sublimity. Of old Noah’s Ar k 
 rested on a mountain summit. The Psalmist wept for 
 Jonathan slain on his own mountains, and he sighed 
 incessantly for “ the everlasting hills.” Our Divine 
 Saviour also loved to retire to mountain regions, and 
 Horeb, Thabor, Sion, and Calvary witnessed some of the 
 most memorable and sacred events in His life. Mountains 
 look down unchanged upon the changes occurring in 
 everything around. They tend to elevate the soul above 
 the passing scene of this world, and ever beckon upwards 
 to the Eternal Hills—the true home of the pilgrim. 
 
 St. Dabheoc’s seat gave rise to the denomination 
 
LOUGH DERG. 
 
 41 
 
 Seeavoc, the name by which the district in which it lies 
 was anciently known. Subsequently the district was 
 divided into sub-denominations —Portneillinmore {i.e. the 
 harbour of the large island), Portcreevy (i.e. the bushy 
 harbour), and Ballymacavanny, the present name of the 
 townland in which the “ seat is situated. That the 
 latter names are of comparatively modern date it is not 
 difficult to conjecture; whereas the term Seeavoc seems 
 to be as old as the days of St. Dabheoc himself 
 
 On Station Island may be seen the fragment of an ancient 
 stone cross,^ a representation of which is included in the 
 illustration of St. Patrick’s Cross given in this work. 
 Mr. Wakeman, to whom is due the credit of being the 
 first who bestowed more than a passing look at this 
 important object, states that it is much older than St. 
 Patrick’s Cross, and, judging from the style of art displayed 
 on it, it must date as far back as the sixth or seventh 
 century. This fragment belonged, in all likelihood, to 
 St. Dabheoc’s Cross, and was primarily erected on Saints’ 
 Island, probably at his grave. Only the head and arms 
 of the cross now remain to us; the shaft, which must have 
 .measured about five feet, having been broken off close by 
 the arms. The shaft is now nowhere to be sefen ; and we 
 have been informed by the Prior, Very Rev. James Canon 
 M‘Kenna, P.P., Brookeborough, a clergyman long and 
 intimately connected with Lough Derg, that whilst 
 
 * The measurements of this mutilated cross are — head, 1 foot; 
 arms, 1 foot 9 inches ; width of stone, 6 inches ; depth, 4 inches. At 
 each of the four points of intersection there is a hollow cutting like the 
 concave arc of a circle, which is but rarely found on old crosses, and 
 only on those of the earliest date. The circle, instead of entwining the 
 arms, as in the case of modern Celtic crosses, is raised in relief on the 
 disc or space between the arms. In the absence of this clasping circle, 
 it presents, together with the hollow cutting at each of the angles, a 
 striking resemblance to the old cross of Kilbroney, near Rostrevor. 
 
42 
 
 ST. i’ATKlCK S PUKGATORY. 
 
 “ engaged in rebuilding the presbytery in 1864, and being 
 badly off for stones long enough to make door and window 
 lintels, the workmen pointed out him a stone about 3 feet 
 8 inches long, about 8 inches square at one end, and about 
 5 inches square at the other, which he ordered to have 
 placed for a lintel, but over what door or window he does 
 not recollect. Subsequently, on examining the head of 
 the cross and considering the peculiarity of the stone, the 
 idea struck him that the ‘ lintel ’ must have been its counter¬ 
 part.” 
 
 The stone, of which this cross is formed is schist, * 
 which, with mica-slate, is the quality of stone commonly 
 found in the vicinity of the lake; the supposition being 
 that, at this early period, the freestone quarries near 
 Pettigo, from which the other inscribed stones at Lough 
 Derg were taken, had not then been available. 
 
 In the space included between the arms, head, and 
 shaft of this cross, there is on both sides a raised circlet, 
 which is about 4 inches in diameter. This circle may be 
 taken as an emblem of eternity; or as expressive of the 
 catholicity and universality of the Church ; or, what is 
 more likely, as a symbolical representation of the Holy 
 Eucharist, which in the early ages of the faith used to be 
 expressed by such symbols. This was the original form of 
 the circle, which is now so commonly seen entwining the 
 arms of our beautiful Celtic crosses. 
 
 Hitherto this mutilated cross was kept in the centre of 
 one of the “ beds,” or cells on Station Island, a fact which 
 shows the great veneration attached to it, and the care 
 with which it has been preserved. 
 
 The original site of this cross, which we may designate 
 
 * The mica-schist of Lough Derg sparkles with a copious blend of 
 felspar, a mineral which abounds in this part of Ireland, and which is- 
 largely availed of in tlie manufacture of the celebrated Belleek ware. 
 
LOUGH DERG. 
 
 43 
 
 the Cross of St. Dabheoc, was probably at the saint’s 
 grave * within the cemetery on Saints’ Island, now a 
 scene of deplorable ruin and desolation: 
 
 How long St. Dabheoc lived at Lough Derg, or in what 
 year he died, has not been ascertained. Assuming that 
 the two saints of that name, the Cambrian and Ultonian, 
 had both lived at Lough Derg (and we see no reason to 
 doubt that supposition), it would appear the Cambrian St. 
 Dabheoc died during the early part of the sixth century, 
 and before the birth of St. Columba, which event he 
 predicted. Hence, if we follow the common belief that 
 490 was the date of St. Dabheoc’s arrival at Lough Derg, 
 and 51G or 517 as the date of his demise, we shall have over 
 twenty-five years, during which the saint in his secluded 
 island retreat pointed out to the newly-converted Irish 
 nation the bright example of a penitential life. 
 
 We may safely conjecture that Dabheoc’s was one of 
 the eight monastic orders belonging to the early Church 
 in Ireland; for, it is stated in the life of St. Ciaran of 
 Clonmacnoise, that the order of St. Molaisre of Devinish 
 was bne of the eight orders in Erin, and that after com¬ 
 pleting thirty years, Molaisre went to heaven, a.d. 563. 
 The memory of Molaisre is venerated on the 12th of 
 September in the Martyrology, where Aengus says:— 
 ^‘With the feast of Laisren,‘[' the beautiful, of multi¬ 
 tudinous Devenish.” Speaking of St. Laserian, Sir James 
 Ware says, that he instituted a particular monastic rule, 
 but that his successors took the rule of St. Augustine. 
 It may have been that St. Molaisre adopted the rule of 
 
 * In the Monasticon Hibernicon (edited by the Most Rev. Dr. Moran), 
 it is said that St. Dabheoc was buried in the abbey, which stood on 
 Saints’ Island. 
 
 t Molaise, Molaisre, Laisre, and Laserian are but different forms of 
 the same name. 
 
44 
 
 ST. Patrick’s purgatory. 
 
 St. Dabheoc, who was almost his contemporary, and whose 
 monastic house at that time was the most distinguished in 
 the neighbourhood. Besides, we may reasonably suppose 
 that there continued to exist close intercourse from the 
 very beginning, as if they were branches of the same 
 religious order, between the establishments of Lough 
 Derg and Devinish. In after ages, when Imar, Arch¬ 
 bishop of Armagh, had introduced the Canons Regular of 
 St. Augustine to his church and abbey of SS. Peter and 
 Paul at Armagh, built about the year 1126, Devenish 
 and Saints’ Island, which had been laid desolate by the 
 Danes, were both re-peopled by religious of that order. 
 And thus the fraternity, existing from the beginning 
 between Devenish and Lough Derg, continued on down 
 during the middle ages. 
 
 Nor should I forget to add that one of the penitential 
 circles, or “beds” on Station Island, round which the 
 pilgrims proceed while reciting certain prayers, is the 
 Bed of St. Dabheoc. It is marked on a map of the place, 
 published in Sir James Ware’s Antiquities of Ireland 
 (London, 1672), and is there called lectus vel circulus 
 Ahogi, which latter is a corrupt form for Dabogiy or 
 Dabheoc. To the saint’s “cross,” “seat,” “cave,” and 
 “ bed,” special veneration has been always paid, these 
 objects being so intimately connected with the devotions 
 and austerities of the holy hermit. 
 
 Notwithstanding the almost total absence of historical 
 evidence regarding St. Dabheoc,* the saint’s memory has 
 
 * Regarding the second St. Dabheoc, or Beoan, of Lough Derg, the 
 following extract from a legend given in the Leabhar na h-Uidhre, will 
 be interesting :—“ It happened that St. Comgall of Bangor despatched 
 Beon, son of Innli, of Teach Daheog, to Rome, on a message to Gregory 
 [Pope, A. D. 590-604], to receive order and rule.” A fabulous story is 
 there told of Liban, daughter of Eachaidh, son of Muiredach, having 
 
LOUGH DERG. 
 
 45 
 
 been vividly preserved ab Lough Derg, and finds expres¬ 
 sion in the perennial devotion of the pilgrims towards 
 him. The connection of his name with all the surround¬ 
 ings of the pilgrimage gives imperishable proof of the 
 veneration in which his virtues and memory have been 
 held. And thus are preserved, for the edification of 
 remote generations, the lives and deeds of those faithful 
 servants of God, who, abandoning the world, and in the 
 solitude of retreat, devoted themselves wholly to the 
 divine service, and to the observance of the evangelical 
 counsels. 
 
 been metamorphosed into a salmon, caught in a net on the return of 
 Beoan from Rome, and drawn by wild oxen from Cam Air end, now 
 Carnearney, parish of Connor, Co. Antrim, to Teach Dabeog, where she 
 was baptised by Comgall, with the name Muir gen, i.e. “born of the 
 sea.” Another name for her was Fiiinchi. This legend is given at 
 length in Dr. Reeves’ Dovm and Connor, p. 376. From it we can learn, 
 making due allowance for fable, the parentage of St. Beoanus, or 
 Dabheoc, the period at which he lived, and his journey to Rome to 
 have his rule confirmed by Pope Gregory ; we also learn that a monas¬ 
 tery stood here at that time ; and that it was founded by St. Patrick, 
 the name itself would iinplj^ seeing that the other foundations, styled 
 Teach, were established by him. In proof of this may be adduced tlie 
 following passage from the Tripartite Life, Part III., not to mention 
 other similar passages:—“ Patrick did not visit Ardmacha on that 
 occasion, but went into the territory of Hy-Cremthand, where he 
 founded churches and teacha,” i.e. religious communities, or founda¬ 
 tions. 
 
46 
 
 ST. Patrick’s purgatory. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 TERMON'DABHEOC — ITS TERMON-CROSSES — SUCCESSORS OF 
 ST. DABHEOC — ST. BRIGID — ANCIENT ROADWAY TO 
 
 LOUGH DERG. 
 
 HE patrimony devoted by our pious an- 
 ' ^ cestors towards the use and support of the 
 N?® religious foundation on Lough Derg, was 
 known during many centuries under the 
 name of Termon-Dabheoc. In the course of 
 time the name extended itself to the entire 
 parish, in which Lough Derg is situated; and 
 thus we find in a list of the parishes of the diocese of 
 Clogher, with the taxation of each, which was received 
 into the Exchequer in the sixteenth year of Edward II. 
 (1323), Termon-Dabheoc set down as one of the churches 
 in the decanate of Loughern}'^ {i.e. Lough Erne), now the 
 deanery of Enniskillen. For the past four centuries, how¬ 
 ever, the churchlands are called Termon Magrath, after 
 the family that became hereditary termoners, or guardians 
 of this sanctuary and its possessions. Those termonlands 
 are very extensive, and their rental at the present day is 
 said to exceed £5,000 per annum. The limits of this 
 ecclesiastical endowment were originally marked by 
 termon-crosses; and vestiges of those crosses and other 
 termon marks are still discernible. Relative to termon- 
 crosses, Dr. Lanigan writes (Vol. IV., p. 386):—“ We 
 find some canons relative to ecclesiastical lands, or tracts, 
 called terminus, and their boundaries or marks. ‘Let 
 the terminus of a holy place have marks about it. 
 
LOUGH DERG. 
 
 47 
 
 Wherever you find the sign of the Cross of Christ, do not 
 do any injury. Three persons consecrate a terminus of a 
 holy place, a king, a bishop, and the people.’ It appears 
 that crosses might be erected in such holy places, and 
 that this might have been done by either a king, a bishop, 
 or the people.” 
 
 Though termonlands did not possess the right of sanc¬ 
 tuary, strictly so-called, the same as churches and religious 
 houses, yet they were favoured with different immunities 
 and privileges, such as for instance freedom from impost 
 of taxes by the civil authorities, etc. 
 
 Regarding Termon-Dabheoc the following entries are to 
 be found in the Annals of the Four Masters :— 
 
 “A.D. 1196. The son of Blosky O’Carriii plundered Termon- 
 Dabheoc ; but in a month afterwards he himself was slain, and 
 his people were dreadfully slaughtered, through the miracles of 
 God and St. Daveog.” 
 
 “ 1345. Nicholas Magrath, coarb of Termon-Daveog, died.” 
 
 “1395. Donnell, i.e. O’Muldoon of Lurg, was treacherously 
 taken prisoner by the sons of Art Maguire at Termon-Daveog, 
 and delivered up as a captive to O’Donnell.” 
 
 “1440. Magrath, Mathew, son of Marcus, coarb of Termon- 
 Daveog, died; and John Boy was elected in his place.” 
 
 “ 1469. John Boy, the son of John More Magrath, coarb of 
 Termon-Daveog, died; and Dermott, son of Marcus, son of 
 Maurice Magrath, was made coarb in his place.” 
 
 “ 1496. Con O’Donnell, with the forces of Tyrconnell, 
 Inishowen, and Dartry-MacClancy, turned in pursuit of Hugh 
 and Maguire, and followed them to Termon-Daveog. Magrath, 
 z,e. Rory, the son of Dermot, son of Marcus, coarb of that 
 Termon, came to them and warned Con and the Kinel-Connell 
 not to violate his protection, or the protection of the Termon, 
 by attacking Maguire.” 
 
 “1562. Magrath of Termon-Daveog, died.” 
 
48 
 
 ST. Patrick’s purgatory. 
 
 According to the Rev. John O’Hanlon, in his Life of 
 St, Malacliy, the “ Coarb was the vicar, a legal repre¬ 
 sentative of the patron saint, or founder of the Church ; 
 but the word Gomorhha is not exclusively ecclesiastical, 
 for in the ancient laws of Erin it meant the heir or 
 conservator of the inheritance; and it is in the latter 
 sense it is always used in our ecclesiastical writings. 
 There was an understood original compact, recognised by 
 the Brehon laws, which vested the coarbship of the 
 Church and its lands in two families, namely, in that of 
 the patron saint or founder, and in that of the person who 
 gave the original site or endowment.” From this it is 
 clear that the Magraths, so long coarbs of this termon, 
 were quite distinct from the abbot and community of 
 Lough Derg; and that it was not necessary, in virtue of 
 their office, that they should be ecclesiastics. 
 
 A monument, likely to attract considerable attention and 
 described for the first time in these pages, is an upright 
 monolith, locally known as “ The Standing Stone,” but really 
 the pedestal of one of the termon-crosses of Termon-Dabheoc, 
 It stood until about fifteen years ago in the centre of a green 
 and flat circle of raised earth on the summit of a hill named 
 Drumawark (i.e. the hill or ridge of the view), about a mile 
 north-east of Templecarne churchyard and somewhat more than 
 the same distance from the nearest point of Lough Derg, which 
 lies to the west of it. Having heard of this monument, and 
 not finding an opportunity at the time of visiting it personally, 
 I requested Rev. William Downey, then C.C. of Pettigo, to 
 make a careful examination of it, and to furnish me with the 
 result of his investigation. Father Downey, with characteristic 
 kindness, complied with my request, and on 29th of October, 
 1879, visited Drumawark hill and took exact measurements of 
 the pedestal as well as of the broken shaft of the termon-cross. 
 On the following day he wrote me the result of his search. I 
 
LOUGH DERG. 
 
 49 
 
 may here observe that this termon-cross consisted of three 
 parts, the pedestal, the shaft, and the wheel or Celtic cross. 
 The pedestal, termed by the people of the locality “ The Stand¬ 
 ing Stone,” escaped uninjured until the period in question. 
 Now, as this pedestal or “ Standing Stone ” has been broken up 
 into fragments, and is thus beyond the possibility of recognition 
 or restoration, it is fortunate that we possess such an accurate 
 description of it, which I shall give in Father Downey’s own 
 words :—“ The stone, about which you wrote, is in the townland 
 of Drumawark. It is a freestone, dressed pretty fairly, but has 
 no inscriptions or characters upon it. It has four sides, is 
 feet high, feet in depth, and IJ feet in width, and stands 
 in its original state. It was a pedestal for another stone ” 
 {i.e. the shaft of the cross), ‘‘ which was removed from it either 
 through bigotry, or mischief-making, some twenty years ago, 
 and broken into almost equal halves, one of which lies about 
 a hundred yards east of the pedestal, the other about the same 
 distance to the west of it. The shaft appears to be of a harder 
 kind and more finely dressed than the pedestal. It is four¬ 
 sided and stood fully four feet above the pedestal.” On the 
 15th of August in the following year of 1880, just as the 
 Station had closed, I set out from Lough Derg, in company 
 with two esteemed friends,* to examine for myself this interest¬ 
 ing object of which Father Downey had given me the first 
 reliable information, and also of testing the truth of the report 
 as to the destruction of “The Standing Stone.” The afternoon 
 was calm and sultry, not a ripple on the lake, not a breath of 
 air to sway the branches of the fir plantation as we passed 
 along through Ballymacavanny to the open country. Passing 
 the cross-roads, where a bridge had been lately erected spanning 
 the Owenea Water, a tributary of the Termon River, we turned 
 oiOf to the left and proceeded through fields in the direction of 
 Drumawark. We had not proceeded far when a thunderstorm 
 burst upon the overhanging mountain of Croagh-Kinnagoe, 
 
 * The late Messrs. John M‘Menamin, architect, Lifford, and Thomas 
 O’Callaghan of Dublin, brother-in-law to Archbishop Lynch of Toronto. 
 
 D 
 
50 ST. Patrick’s purgatory. 
 
 accompanied by a downpour of hailstones, which battered down 
 the ripening crops in its destructive course. Soon the storm * 
 swept past, and presently we hear the roar of countless torrents 
 leaping in wild career down the almost precipitous slopes of 
 the mountain. Having taken refuge at a vantage spot, we 
 were soon enabled to continue our journey over the partially 
 submerged fields; and at length j)er mrios casus we reached the 
 anxiously sought hill of Drumawark. Lying in a ditch near 
 the earthen fort that crowns the hill of Drumawark we noticed 
 a portion of the termon-cross. It is finely chamfered at each 
 angle of the front side, but otherwise presents no ornamental 
 work; having, besides, a tenon of about one foot in depth, 
 which must have fitted into the socket of the pedestal. Though 
 only about one-half of the original shaft, its weight cannot be 
 less than three cwt. Clambering up the hillside, overgroAvn 
 with furze and heath, we observe on its summit a low earth¬ 
 work of circular formation and not very spacious. It wants 
 the fosse usually to be seen in forts throughout the country, 
 and from the ring outwards there is a steep declivity. Within 
 its enclosure the soil appears rich and loamy, and in its centre 
 at the period of Father Downey’s visit, ten months previously, 
 stood “The Standing Stone,” the position it occupied being 
 now marked by an open pit in which lay the broken fragments 
 of that monument. The motive for this dastardly vandal act 
 is thus explained by the concurrent testimony of several persons 
 residing in the locality. 
 
 On the occasion of Father Downey’s visit to the monolith, a 
 rumour originated that it was in contemplation to collect 
 together the parts of the termon-cross and have them re- 
 erected on Station Island. To prevent such a step certain 
 iconoclasts of the district came at dead of night provided with 
 spades, bars, sledge-hammer and lantern, dug a deep trench 
 round the stone, broke it into fragments, and buried them in 
 
 * This storm it was which caused the tragedy at Gweedore—where 
 several lives were lost by the flooding of Derrybeg chapel. It broke 
 over fJweedore about three hours earlier in the day. 
 
LOUGH DERG. 
 
 51 
 
 the pit, as they had hoped, beyond all possibility of recognition. 
 They then took their departure, leaving behind vivid traces * 
 of their savage work. 
 
 At the eastern side of the enclosure, about forty paces down 
 its slope, lies the other half of the shaft. Many years ago, we 
 were told, persons were wont to assemble on the summit of the 
 fort, and on one occasion they rolled through wanton amuse¬ 
 ment the broken shaft over the circular enclosure, the mo¬ 
 mentum it thus received carrying it a good way down the 
 declivity. It exhibits the very same dressing and grooving at 
 the angles of the face surface as the part lying at tlie roadside, 
 already noticed. The top of the cross, looking as the peasants 
 say “like the wheel of a barrow,” for many years past has 
 marked a family grave in Templecarne churchyard. To this 
 we have already directed notice in our chapter on Temple¬ 
 carne. The stone composing this termon-cross was taken, we 
 were told, from a freestone quarry in the ridge of a hill running 
 parallel with this druim, and about half a mile south of it. It 
 is of red sandstone of the same sort as that found in most of the 
 inscribed stones, crosses, etc., at Lough Derg. 
 
 As to the view from Drumawark, nothing can be finer. 
 From its hill the first glimpse of Lough Derg was ob¬ 
 tained by the travel-stained pilgrim. A view of Lough 
 Erne, extending from Enniskillen to Belleek, can be had 
 from it. The monastic buildings of Devenish are clearly 
 in sight, and, of old, signals by beacon lights could be 
 easily kept up from it with Lough Derg. Magrath’s 
 Castle, near Pettigo, the residence of the hereditary 
 
 * On the night of this vandal outrage, certain persons, half a mile to 
 the south of Drumawark, observed a light at “The Standing Stone,” 
 and the strokes of the sledge-hammer were distinctly heard by several. 
 Those in the locality entirely exonerate from all complicity in the act 
 the tenant of the farm on which the monument stood, but suspicion 
 founded on circumstantial grounds points to the perpetrators of the 
 dastardly deed. 
 
52 
 
 ST. pateick’s puegatory. 
 
 guardian of the termon, is also distinguishable from this 
 standpoint. Many years ago, it is related, a deep pit was 
 dug in the eastern rim of this fort by some dreamers after 
 gold. They failed to find gold; but about three or four 
 feet from the surface a regular floor or pavement of burnt 
 stones was discovered. On this pavement the signal fires 
 were probably lighted, as well as the fires where the 
 pilgrims cooked their frugal meals. It is no far-fetched 
 supposition to affirm that this was the Terminus, or 
 Termon, referred to in the account of the pilgrimage of 
 Raymond, Count of Perilleux, regarding whom it is said 
 .that he called upon O’Neill on his way to the Purgatory, 
 and that O’Neill directed him to a place called Protec¬ 
 tion, or Asylum. O’Sullivan, in a note to this account, 
 calls it Terminum. On the arrival of the pilgrim knight 
 at the Termon it is said :—‘‘ The Lord of the place and 
 his brother treated Raymond very courteously, and ferried 
 him over to the island with his retinue and a great 
 number of pilgrims from other places.” The cross which 
 stood in the centre of this circulus was the termon-cross 
 of Termon-Daveog. It pointed out the way to Lough 
 Derg; told the pilgrim that he was drawing near to the 
 term of his journey; and warned the outlaw, that he was 
 within the sacred bouudary, where he might lay claim to 
 the right of sanctuary. 
 
 The ruthless and wanton destruction of this fine old 
 cross affords proof that the fell spirit of iconoclasm, which 
 vented its fury on the holy places of Lough Derg, is not 
 yet quite dead. And as to the cross itself, mutilated and 
 shattered though it be, who knows but it may yet rear 
 its stately figure in reproduced form, if not on the hill of 
 Drumawark, at least on Station Island ? 
 
 About a quarter of a mile to the north-east of the hill 
 of Drumawark is the Holy Well of Cullion, to which 
 
LOUGH DERG. 
 
 53 
 
 pilgrims, after completing their Station at Lough Derg, 
 were wont to pay a visit, each one bringing with him from 
 the shore of the lake a rounded pehble, which he left at 
 the well as a votive gift. In the lapse of time a mound of 
 those stones accumulated near the well, till the occupant 
 of the land, some forty or fifty years ago, with notions of 
 the fitness of things more “canny” than archaic, utilised 
 the stones * for drainage purposes. 
 
 He also endeavoured to drain the well, but to no avail, 
 for, the spring continues still to bubble up “thick as a 
 man’s arm: ” so my informant expressed it. Its water is 
 said to be the only water in the neighbourhood having the 
 same taste as that of Lough Derg, and this may be owing 
 to the circumstance that it springs from a lead of iron ore. 
 It has not been ascertained to what saint the well is 
 dedicated. If, however, Cullion be a corruption of Cillene, 
 then we may hold that it was dedicated to St. Cillene, 
 who, as abbot of Lough Derg, died in 721. The stream 
 from this fountain has hollowed out a ravine, or glen, in 
 which, about forty perches south from the well. Mass used 
 to be celebrated in the penal days. There are people 
 still living in the neighbourhood, whose parents attended 
 Mass there in the beginning of the present century. 
 
 Whether St. Molaisre of Devenish lived for any period 
 at Lough Derg, we have no means of finding out. At 
 any rate he must have paid frequent visits there ; and, in 
 the supposition that he followed the rule of St. Dabheoc, 
 and that both houses were kindred communities, he may 
 have actually dwelt for some time at Lough Derg for the 
 twofold purpose of following the course of penance there 
 practised by St. Patrick, and after him by St. Dabheoc, 
 and of making himself conversant with the rule of life 
 
 * Many of those round pebbles can still be seen scattered about the 
 ■well. 
 
54 
 
 ST. PATRICK’S PURGATORY. 
 
 there established. St. Molaisre is still the titular saint 
 of one of the seven * cells, or little oratories on Station 
 
 * 111 the November number of the Irish Ecclesiastical Recordy lb91, 
 appears an article from the pen of the able ecclesiologist, Very Rev. 
 J. Fahey, P.P., V.G., Cfort, in which he conjectures that the saints’ 
 “beds” on Station Island “are the ruins of some of the circular stone- 
 roofed cells, in which our early saints were wont to pray and to perform 
 their heroic penances.” Of such cells, or dnirteacha, several examples 
 still exist on Innismurray, Arran, and elsewhere. 
 
 Mr. Wakeman, also, after having carefully examined those seven 
 cells on Station Island, gave it as his decided opinion that they were 
 originally beehive-shaped oratories ; that oratories of that class were a 
 distinctive feature of the ecclesiastical structures of the ninth century; 
 that many remains of such oratories are to be found round the west 
 coast of Ireland, more especially in Arran; and that all reputable 
 arclueologists are unanimous in assigning the ninth century, if not an 
 earlier period, for their construction. He added that some specimens 
 are to be found on the Continent, particularly in Norway, showing they 
 are not peculiar to Ireland. “if this be so,” writes the Venerable 
 Prior, Canon James M‘Kenna, “would this not be a strong argument 
 to prove that the pilgrimage and its famous cave were always where 
 they are now on Station Island. I confess this has always been my 
 opinion. Having examined Saints’ Island through and throiigh on 
 many occasions, and for many years, I failed to find any reason to 
 convince me that the pilgrimage was ever on that island. I can find 
 there no traces of the famous cave, nor the penitential beds, whereas 
 they are distinctly found on Station Island. My theory is, that those 
 two islands were looked upon, and written about, as a quid wium et 
 idem, a sort of ‘ corporation sole ; ’ that the pilgrimage and cave M’ere 
 founded by St. Patrick, or his disciple, St. Habheoc, on Station Island ; 
 that the number of clerics detailed for service on Station Island cor¬ 
 responded with the number of cells there at present; that those cells, 
 as we see them, denoted a perfectly-ordered community, the largest for 
 the use of the superior, and the smaller for that of the subordinates; 
 that in the devolution of time, the number in community increasing, it 
 was thought desirable to acquire more space; that Saints’ Island was 
 marked out for that purpose, that a convent was built there for tlie 
 larger community; and that finally the cells on Station Island were 
 rendered unnecessary as habitations; and the spiritual wants of the 
 pilgrimage were henceforth attended to by clerics deputed from the 
 convent. I have examined the history and traditions of the place with 
 
LOUGH DERG. 
 
 00 
 
 Island. Two of those cells, or “beds” are so closely 
 connected as to give the appearance of forming but one 
 “bed.” They are known to the pilgrims as the “Large 
 Bed,” and they are dedicated to SS. Dabheoc and Mo- 
 laisre, very forcibl}^ suggesting the fraternity and close 
 relationship which existed between these two saints and 
 their respective foundations. 
 
 Built into the southern gable of St. Patrick's church 
 may be seen four inscribed stones, which had long been 
 lying about on Station Island, until the Revs. James and 
 John M‘Kenna, in the summer of 1860, caused them to be 
 carefully enshrined in their present position. Three of 
 these inscribed stones belong to the last century; one of 
 them being the date-stone of a little church erected here 
 by Friar Anthony O’Doherty, of the order of St. Francis; 
 the other two having been placed in the centre of the 
 oratories or “ beds ” of the titular saints of the place. To 
 the fourth inscribed stone, as also to a corbel-shaped holy- 
 water font still preserved on the island I shall refer at 
 some length hereafter. 
 
 Now, one of the stones referred to goes to show the 
 veneration in which St. Molaisre was held at Lough Derg. 
 The inscription is as follows :— 
 
 “I. H. S. 
 
 St. Patrick and St. Blosses,* * 
 
 Pray for us. 
 
 P. F. M‘Grath.” 
 
 It is difficult to say, with any degree of certainty, who 
 
 care, and I must say I can find nothing in either with which this theory 
 cannot be reconciled.” 
 
 * Blosses is a corrupt form of Molaisre, as any one conversant with 
 Celtic idioms will understand. 
 
56 
 
 ST. Patrick’s purgatory. 
 
 was the immediate successor of St. Dabheoc at Lough 
 Derg. Indeed the records regarding this place for five 
 centuries after St. Dabheoc are exceedingly meagre; an 
 entry in the Annals of the Four Masters and a few 
 notices in our Martyrologies being almost all we have to 
 aid us (if we except some ancient inscriptions and other 
 objects of archaeological interest, no doubt of high historical 
 importance), in unravelling the mystery which surrounds 
 Lough Derg as regards the early centuries of Christian 
 Ireland. 
 
 That our early writers have not made frequent and 
 detailed reference to St. Patrick’s Purgatory is not to be 
 wondered at. It was regarded chiefly as a place of private 
 devotion and penance; and since those pious practices 
 were only in keeping with the general spirit and dis¬ 
 cipline of the early Irish Church, there appeared nothing 
 about it uncommon or extraordinary, nothing calculated 
 to attract the notice of our annalists and historians, 
 except in the most passing way. 
 
 In the Four Masters, under the year 721, we find 
 reference to another abbot of Lough Derg in the following 
 concise entry:— 
 
 “ A.D. 721. Cillene of Lough Derg, died.” 
 
 Now, in the Martyrology of Tallagh, we find no less 
 than thirteen saints of that name mentioned, some having 
 their names merely recorded, others with their dignity, 
 rank, and place of residence annexed; one of the latter, 
 by the way, being no less a dignitary than “ Bishop of 
 Tehallen.” I consider it extremely probable that the* 
 St. Cillene of Lough Derg is the same as St. Cillene re¬ 
 corded in the Martyrology of Tallagh under January 8th, 
 as “ Cillene, abbot.” 
 
 Another of the inscribed stones in the gable of St. 
 
LOUGH DERG. 
 
 57 
 
 Patrick’s Church, commonly called ‘‘Prison Chapel,” has 
 the following inscription :— 
 
 “I. H. S. 
 
 St. Avil, pray for us. 
 
 P. F. M‘Grath. 
 
 Hie fieri fecit. 
 
 1753.” 
 
 I think we may fairly conjecture that St. Avil was 
 abbot on Lough Derg, and one of St. Dabheoc’s successors. 
 In the Martyrology of Tallagh, under the 22nd of April, 
 we meet with the following entry:—“Abel MacAedha, 
 potius Adam.” Now, it seems not improbable that this 
 Abel MacHugh and St. Avil were one and the same 
 individual. Besides Aedh, or Hugh, is the same name as 
 Dabheoc, when divested of its adjuncts do and oc ; so that 
 in this way the entry in the Martyrology may be taken to 
 mean—Abel M‘Hugh, i.e. Avil the spiritual child, the 
 dear disciple and successor of Hugh, alias Dabheoc.* 
 
 St. Avil is still held in veneration at Lough Derg; and 
 to him was dedicated one of the penitential circles, or 
 beds, on Station Island, according to the authority of 
 a little handbook, which for more than a century has 
 served as a guide to the devotional exercises of that 
 pilgrimage. 
 
 A St. Fintan would appear to have been numbered 
 among the patrons of Lough Derg. One of its islands 
 (which of them we have no means of finding out,) had 
 
 . * Father Shearman, in a letter of February 10th, 1879, does not 
 consider this conjecture to be well-founded. He says, “Abel MacAedha 
 is, I believe, the name of some abbot, with the patronymic, which has 
 no connection with Dabheon—de-Beoan=:oc, unless you compose the 
 name in the same way as that of the patron of Ardcairne, near Boyle, 
 Beoanus, i.e. Beo-Aedh = vivax. But that is a too much-strained 
 
 derivation like many more of the kind.” 
 
58 
 
 ST. Patrick’s purgatory. 
 
 been dedicated to him, and was known as St. Fintan’s 
 Island. Whether this saint was the same as St. Fintan of 
 Clonenagh, we cannot determine. By looking into Festi- 
 logies of Irish saints, we find that St. Fintan is a very 
 common name, there being no less than seventeen saints 
 of that name recorded in the Martyrology of Tallagh. 
 We know that St. Fintan of Clonenagh passed his novitiate 
 under St. Columba, son of Crimthan, who had a school at 
 Tyrdaglass, near Lough Derg on the Shannon. It may 
 have been, indeed, that the similarity in the names of 
 these lakes gave rise to a mistake. At St. Fintan’s Monas¬ 
 tery of Clonenagh were “seven churches,” which were 
 first brought under notice by the Bev. John O’Hanlon. 
 At Lough Derg in Donegal were also “ seven churches,” 
 and they are represented at the present day by seven 
 oratories, or penal beds, dedicated to seven of the tutelary 
 saints of the pilgrimage. This mysterious group of seven 
 churches would appear to have belonged to the most 
 notable of the religious foundations in Ireland, and would 
 seem to have been a favourite institution in our country. 
 Thus we read of the seven churches of Clonmacnoise, of 
 Tory Island, of Glendalough, not to speak of many others. 
 In other countries, too, the same feature is recorded; as, 
 for instance, the seven churches, which clustered together 
 at Bologna, under the name of San Stefano. But whether 
 they had each a separate ecclesiastical government is 
 another question. 
 
 The late Bev. Dr. Kelly, of Maynooth, the learned 
 annotator of Gamhrensis Eversus, tells us in his notes to 
 that work :— 
 
 “As to the stations around the penal beds” (at Lough Derg), 
 “ where little churches formerly stood, the reader will find 
 much interesting information regarding analogous institutions 
 in the Bollandists, namely, stations established by St. Gregory 
 
LOUGH DERG. 
 
 5D 
 
 in the basilicas and cemeteries of Rome, which were frequented 
 in Lent, Rogation days, and the four great festivals of our 
 Lord.” 
 
 I cannot say at what period the number of cells or 
 oratories at Lough Derg was increased to seven. It may 
 be that they were not established until after the Canons 
 Regular of St. Augustine took possession of the place in 
 the twelfth century; and perhaps not, indeed, until the 
 fifteenth or sixteenth century. In the Martyrology of 
 Donegal (edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves), we find the 
 following statement touching this question, under the 
 heading Purgatorium Sti. Patricii :— 
 
 “There are five beds of hard penance there, round which the 
 pilgrims go, the Bed of Patrick, of Columcille, of Brigid, of 
 Adamnan, and of Daveog. This is the testimony of Ferghal. 
 But the be. mi ^ says that he saw two beds there, viz., Patrick’s 
 and Colum’s—48 (hours) without food, without drink—nine 
 days there altogether. A pilgrimage during the day and 
 prayers. The baking of bread must be without salt. Loch- 
 Gerc is its name.” 
 
 That special devotion was always paid to St. Brigid at 
 Lough Derg no one can doubt. Her cross, her bed of 
 penance, and her chair are lasting mementoes of the fact. 
 At the eastern corner of St. Patrick’s Church, on Station 
 Island, on a large freestone block inserted in the wall, a 
 cross of Roman model is deeply inscribed. This is known 
 as “St. Brigid’s Cross.” At what date this cross was 
 made it is impossible to say ; but from its style, and close 
 resemblance to similar inscribed crosses at Clonmacnoise, 
 we may infer that it is a work of the twelfth century, if 
 
 * Some writer whose name I have not been able to find out. Perhaps 
 it may refer to Brother Michael O’Clery, the celeljrated Franciscan 
 Annalist. 
 
60 
 
 ST. Patrick’s purgatory. 
 
 not of an earlier period. At this cross the pilgrims go 
 through a very solemn and impressive ceremony. After 
 repeatiug certain prayers on bended knees before it, they 
 arise, and with outstretched arms in front of it, and with 
 face towards the lake, they thrice repeat, “I renounce the 
 devil, the world, and the flesh.” 
 
 One of the seven oratories, or beds on the island is also 
 dedicated to the Veiled Nun of Kildare, and is called 
 ^‘St. Brigid’s Bed.” 
 
 At the southern shore of the lake, just at the water’s 
 edge, a massive block of stone will attract the notice of the 
 visitor. This stone shows beyond question the outline 
 and appearance of a high-backed chair. The surface of 
 the seat, and also of the back of the “ Chair,” is smooth ; 
 the seat is slightly concave and reclining backwards. 
 The best view of the Chair ” presents itself as you 
 
LOUGH DERG. 
 
 61 
 
 approach by water within a few oars’ distance of it. The 
 natives call it “St. Brigid’s Chair”* to this day. 
 
 Here can be had a good view of Station Island and of 
 Saints’ Island as well, together with the expansive sheet 
 of water of Lower Lough Derg; whilst a more solitary spot, 
 or one more suggestive of soothing thoughts and devout 
 meditation could hardly be found. 
 
 In that full and circumstantial account of her life 
 written by Canon O’Hanlon, in the second volume of his 
 Lives of the Irish Saints, we find that St. Brigid visited 
 many of the holy places throughout Ireland. Though we 
 have no authoritative evidence, beyond the existence 
 of the Chair itself, as to her visit to this locality, it is 
 permissible to believe that, attracted by the austere life 
 practised here by St. Dabheoc, she may have paid a visit 
 to his retreat; and, after the fatigue of her journey, may 
 have rested her weary limbs on this very seat, and from it 
 taken a survey of the island hermitage. As St. Brigid 
 died about the year 520, the visit, of which we speak, 
 must have occurred during the time the Cambrian St. 
 Dabheoc presided over the religious foundation at Lougli 
 Derg. The place selected by the holy virgin to view the 
 penitential retreat was singularly favourable. The death¬ 
 like solitude and stillness on all sides, interrupted only by 
 the occasional whir of the moor-fowl through the heath on 
 the adjoining mountain, the fitful gust of the breezes over 
 the lake, or the beating of the waves against the “ Chair,” 
 and the rocky shore in its vicinity, are calculated to 
 impress upon the mind deep and abiding recollections of 
 the “ Lake of Penance.” 
 
 * The following are the measurements of the “ Chair ”—height of 
 “ Chair ” to seat, 2 feet 4 inches; height of reclining back of the 
 Chair, 2 feet; breadth of seat, 4 feet 4 inches ; depth of chair, 4 feet; 
 depth of seat, 1 foot 8 inches. 
 
€2 
 
 ST. Patrick’s purgatory. 
 
 A little to the east of the “ Chair,” and bordering on 
 the shore of the lake, may be seen a spa-well, largely 
 impregnated with iron. The well is marked on the 
 Ordnance map of the place, and such iron springs abound 
 especially on this shore of the lake. 
 
 To the south of St. Brigid’s Chair, and about two 
 furlongs from the lake, is situated on the top of the 
 mountain a carn-shaped eminence, on the very summit of 
 which is located St. Dabheoc’s Seat, which has been 
 already described in these pages. 
 
 The late Rev. Jas. M‘Loughlin, P.P., Killeter, in a series 
 of articles on Lough Derg, published in the Derry Jour nal 
 of 1878, writes thus :— 
 
 “ A remarkable fact in connection with Lough Derg is the 
 absence of roads leading to it. On all sides glens, mountains, 
 deep ’ravines, quagmires and marshes surround the place. 
 These obstacles are not only in close proximity to the lake, but 
 extend for miles on all sides. Now, we know from history that 
 Lough Derg was one of the most celebrated pilgrimages in the 
 world. In 1397 a Knight of Rhodes, with a retinue of twenty 
 men and thirty horses, came there. How did the gallant 
 Knight and his retinue journey T’ 
 
 Fortunately for us, however, we have ample evidence to 
 satisfy us that a substantial roadway led to this secluded 
 retreat even during that remote period, when, as we 
 know, the fame of the Purgatory attracted pilgrims from 
 the most distant lands. Remains of this ancient causeway, 
 called by O’Donovan a via stratay can still be distinctly 
 discerned, and are marked upon the maps of the Ordnance 
 Survey. At the present day the entire course of this 
 road cannot be traced, owing to the fact that it has been 
 disused for two or three hundred years, during which 
 period heath and peat have accumulated over it where it 
 led through the mountains ; and, where it wound its way 
 
LOUGH DERG. 63 
 
 along the western shore of the lake, the waves, even more 
 effectively, have destroyed almost every vestige of it.* 
 Traces of this roadway can be clearly observed on the 
 summit of Portneillinmore hill (which rises close to Saints’ 
 Island), also in a few places along the shore of the lake, 
 particularly at Portcreevy bay, where it quitted the shore 
 and led on through a mountain valley towards Templecarne 
 and Pettigo. From the main route a branch line led off 
 to where the present wooden bridge spans the Owenea 
 river, and on by Tamlaght to the Termon Cross on 
 Drumawark hill. At certain parts of this roadway, I have 
 been informed, on the cutting away of the overlying 
 surface of peat, large stepping stones, arranged in regular 
 order, have been brought to light, thus confirming the 
 name by which O’Donovan terms it, viz., a via strata. 
 
 At the southern side of Saints’ Island, a narrow neck of 
 water separates the island from the mainland; and here, 
 during the time the monastery stood on Saints’ Island, a 
 bridge formed of oaken beams, and resting on stone piers, 
 connected the island with the mainland. Of this bridge 
 Dr. O’Donovan writes in his Donegal Letters :— 
 
 “ The neck of Seeavoc was anciently connected with Saints’ 
 Island by a wooden bridge, supported by stone pillars, a part 
 of which may yet be seen when the water is clear. The bridge 
 served the purpose of the present money-making” (money¬ 
 making indeed, for the landlord and the boatman appointed by 
 him,) “ ferryboat, and was crossed 
 
 An embankment of stones extended out into the water 
 at either side, while a bridge of beams spanned the deep 
 stream that flows in the centre of the channel, which here 
 connects the upper with the lower lake. Remains of 
 
 * Upon Ordnance 6-in. map this ancient road is inarked along the 
 south-western shore of lake. 
 
64 
 
 ST. Patrick’s purgatory. 
 
 those piers and of the uochAp, or causeway leading from 
 them, are still to be seen; but of the bridge of beams 
 there is not a vestige left. 
 
 After the destruction of the establishment on Saints’ 
 Island in the seventeenth century, Portcreevy the 
 bushy harbour, a name it still merits from the number of 
 trees and bushes growing there), continued still for a time 
 as the place of embarkation to Station Island, or the 
 Island of the Purgatory. A more direct route was subse¬ 
 quently discovered, which led from Templecarne church¬ 
 yard, by the old roadway, still in existence, towards the 
 Owenea river, and thence straight across Ballymacavanny 
 hill to the spot where stands the present ferryhouse. By 
 this route came Csesar Otway, Carleton and several others, 
 who, finding that sterner methods had failed to suppress 
 the pilgrimage, adopted the unworthy role of ridicule 
 and misrepresentation. This comparatively ancient road 
 stretched from Lough Derg to the fertile and wooded 
 banks of Lough Erne; which, owing to its great extent of 
 water, continued for many ages to be the principal 
 thoroughfare for a large number of the pilgrims. Over 
 its expanse of surpassing beauty sailed the pilgrims, and 
 in the hospices or guest-houses of the monasteries at Deve- 
 nish, Lisgoole and Clones, they received food and shelter 
 when going and returning. While to strangers were 
 there given suitable directions as to the details of the 
 journey. 
 
 “ With footsteps strong, and bosom brave. 
 
 Looking for that mysterious Cave, 
 
 Where the pitying heavens will show 
 How my salvation I may gain, 
 
 By bearing in this life the purgatorial pain.” * 
 
 * From Denis Florence MacCarthy’s translation of Calderon’s Purga- 
 torio de San Patricio. 
 
LOUGH DERG. 
 
 65 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 ANCIENT INSCRIPTIONS AT LOUGH DERG—LEARNED DISQUI¬ 
 SITION OF THE RIGHT REV. DR. GRAVES—THE ABBOT 
 PATRICK—LEGEND REGARDING THE ABSENCE OF 
 SALMON FROM ITS WATERS. 
 
 N Station Island are two inscribed stones, 
 which hitherto have been regarded as 
 perfectly undecipherable, and have up to 
 this completely baffled the ingenuity of 
 antiquarian visitors to the place. The more 
 important by far of the inscribed stones is that 
 set into the southern gable of St. Patrick’s 
 It is a small sandstone, and must have been the 
 titulus of one of the early churches belonging to the pilgrim¬ 
 age. It is much waterworn, and several of the characters 
 on it are quite indistinct and illegible. The second in¬ 
 scribed stone is a corbel-shaped holy-water stoup, which 
 lay about the island and escaped observation until lately. 
 Though of more recent date than the first named, it is 
 here noticed in the same connection, as both inscriptions 
 refer to the same saint. Being struck by the archaic 
 character of those inscribed stones, I requested Mr. Wake- 
 man, then of Enniskillen, to accompany me to the island 
 in order to have rubbings of the inscriptions taken. 
 
 This we effected on the 12th of April, 1878. Soon 
 after Mr. Wakeman sent forward the rubbings to Dr. 
 Graves, Protestant Bishop of Limerick, who is admittedly 
 one of the foremost authorities at the present day on 
 Ogham and ancient Irish inscriptions. The result of his 
 
66 
 
 ST. pathick’s purgatory 
 
 lordship s investigation is nothing short of a most im¬ 
 portant discovery. Dr. Graves* learned disquisition on 
 these inscriptions having been very kindly communicated 
 to me by Mr. Wakeman, I gladly take the liberty of 
 placing it here on record. Dr. Graves writes :— 
 
 “Being induced by what you” (Mr. Wakeman) “told me to 
 believe, that the stone on Station Island, of which you sent me 
 a rubbing, originally contained the whole of the inscription, I 
 
 iStone built into Wall of Old Chapel, Station Island, Lough Derg. 
 
 applied myself to the consideration of it with much care. The 
 result of my study has been to assure me that I have sub¬ 
 stantially made it out, thou gh I may yet find that my reading 
 requires correction in matters of detail. The enclosed copy 
 shows you how I deal with it. The letters and strokes in red 
 are what I supplied. I have taken those in hlacTc exactly as you 
 represented them. 
 
LOUGH DERG. 
 
 67 
 
 “Now let us consider the parts of the inscription in order:— 
 I propose to supply an I at the end of the first line. Thus, 
 MECI would be the Latinized form of MEIC, an old, but not 
 the oldest form of the genitive, MAC. 
 
 “ After the N which commences the second line, I introduce 
 a Y, but with some doubt. In that place I should rather have 
 expected IS. 
 
 “At the end of the same line, I conjecture the diphthong M, 
 To this I was led mainly by the little stroke going up obliquely 
 from the top of the vertical stroke, which your rubbing exhibits. 
 The A in the third line has a square top of this kind. 
 
 “At the commencement of the third line, I suggest a Q, 
 which I would read as QU—not an uncommon thing in inscrip¬ 
 tions. After SAP, I restore lENT, being perfectly certain that 
 the letters were there once, whether the traces of them remain 
 or not. 
 
 “In the latter half of the fourth line, I restore PEI, ad¬ 
 mitting, however, that OPTI may possibly have stood there 
 originally. 
 
 “ The I at the beginning of your fifth line, I take to be the 
 last member of an M; and at the end of the same line I place the 
 word EE AT or FUIT. 
 
 “ Now as to the meaning of the inscription, I confess that I 
 entertain some doubt as to the signification of OE.* The in¬ 
 scription plainly being in the Latin language, we could not 
 expect to find OE DO, or OE AE, because DO and AE are 
 Irish prepositions, the Latin equivalent of which would be PEO. 
 It may be that the OE here is an abbreviation for OEATE 
 PEO ;t I cannot say that I have ever seen an instance of 
 
 * The same learned scholar, in a letter (to Mr. Wakeman), dated at 
 Parknasilla, Kenmare, August 5th, 1878, says :—“As to the OR, I now 
 regard it as equivalent to OROIT ar, or Orate pro. The sapiens is the 
 Latin for pUl.” 
 
 + The Most Rev. Dr. Moran, then Bishop of Ossory, now Cardinal 
 Archbishop of Sydney, in a letter to me from Kilkenny, dated 
 24th of March, 1879, thus concurs with Dr. Graves’ reading of the in- 
 
G8 ST. PATRICK’S PURGATORY. 
 
 such an abbreviation. Ifc seems to me not improbable that OR 
 is an abbreviation for ORATORIUM, or ORACULUM. Both 
 these words are in use to signify a church or chapel. The 
 former occurs repeatedly with that meaning in Adamnan's Life 
 of St. Columbkille. As to the name which follows, it seems to 
 me that it can be nothing else than MACNISSE. 
 
 “ This was the name of a very famous man, a contemporary 
 of St. Patrick and Bishop of Connor; and it is a matronymic, 
 for he was called after his mother, CNESS. That would 
 account for the termination -ZE in the Latinized form of the 
 name. You will find the whole history of this eminent saint 
 and bishop in Dr. Reeves’ Ecclesiastical Antiquities of Dovni, 
 Connor, and Dromore (pp. 237-9); and take note especially of 
 the fact that he was a great traveller—in fact a pilgrim—in con¬ 
 sequence of the sin which he had committed. Having visited 
 both Rome and Jerusalem, he might thus have acquired the 
 reputation of being eminently sapiens. He died in the year 514. 
 I do not suppose that the inscription is so old as that, but I 
 regard it as being very ancient. As you say in your letter, it 
 must be very ancient, or comparatively modern. If it was of 
 the eighth, ninth, tenth, or eleventh century, we should almost 
 certainly have the rounded forms of the letters E, M, N, T, U; 
 and the 0, instead of being large, would be rather smaller than 
 the other capitals. The M” (the extremities of the vertical 
 lines of this letter are connected by two lines drawn trans¬ 
 versely) “ seems to be an ornamental initial. 
 
 “This MACNISSE had another name. He was called 
 CAEMAN BREAC, the Latinized form of which is CAEVA- 
 
 scription : “ In the inscription at page 64, the last letter in the second 
 line is the old Irish Q, and there can be no doubt that the whole 
 inscription thus runs—‘ Or Mecinyse qui Sapientium primus fuit,’ 
 t.c. A prayer for MacNisse who was the head of the Wise Men of Erin. 
 Such phrases are often used in our Annals relative to our great saints. 
 The OR was usf^d in the early Irish Church like the R. I. P. in modern 
 inscriptions. It was the conventional formula which asked a prayer 
 for the faithful departed. There are other instances of its being used 
 in Latin inscriptions.” 
 
LOUGH DERG. 
 
 69 
 
 NUS. Now if you look at the passage ia the Tripartite Life 
 of St. Patrick, to which Dr. Reeves refers, you will find a very 
 ead and strange story about the man's hand. 
 
 “It is not impossible that the other inscription, of which 
 you sent me a rubbing, is to be read MANUS COIVANI. 
 
 “ This whole matter is so curious, that it deserves the most 
 careful investigation. For my part, I should not like to publish 
 the views which I have stated in this letter until I had seen 
 carefully made paper-moulds of the two inscriptions, if only 
 that they might enable me to pronounce a positive opinion as 
 to the mode in which the inscriptions should be read, and the 
 age of the writing.” 
 
 Acting on Dr. Graves’ suggestion, and at my request, 
 Mr. Wakeman paid a second visit to Station Island on 
 the 23rd of May, 1878, when he made fresh and very 
 careful rubbings of tbe two inscriptions, as also two casts 
 of them in paper. Those rubbings and paper-moulds 
 brought out the surprising and important fact that all the 
 letters in the inscription, supplied or suggested by Dr. 
 Graves, are to be found on the stone. The last word in 
 the inscription is FUIT.* 
 
 * “ More light might yet be thrown upon the Lough Derg inscription. 
 Is it not strange that in Ireland so few ancient inscriptions in the Latin 
 language have been preserved ? Here in Algeria, though the country 
 has been repeatedly desolated by wars and persecutions, we can still 
 point to a considerable number of very interesting ones.”—Extract from 
 a letter sent me by Dr. Graves from Algiers, 25th February, 1879. 
 
 Mr. Wakeman, in a letter dated August 26th, 1887, makes the follow¬ 
 ing apposite observations on this valuable inscribed stone:—When 
 last I saw the OR MECI stone on Station Island, I was much pained to 
 perceive that in dashing the wall of the Church, in which it is set, the 
 workmen in a great measure covered the very faint lettering with their 
 wash. To remove this substance would require a very delicate opera¬ 
 tion, and I fear, that do what one might, some portions of the surface 
 of the stone would suffer. My attempts to take paper rubbings failed 
 almost entirely, but fortunately I retain the best of the rubbings which 
 I made while yet the stone had not been interfered with. I do not 
 
70 
 
 ST. Patrick’s purgatory. 
 
 Now, as to the person referred to in this inscription, 
 some difference of opinion may arise from the fact that 
 two saints of that name are met with in our early church 
 records. One of them is thus mentioned in the Four 
 Masters: — “A.D. 589. St. MacNise, Abbot of Cluain- 
 Mie-Nois for a period of sixteen years, died on the tenth 
 of the month of June.” In the Annals of Clonmacnoise 
 it is thus given:—‘^A.D. 587. MacNissi, an Ulsterman, 
 third Abbot of Clonvicnose, died in the sixteenth year of 
 his place.” To say that he may have gone on pilgrimage 
 to Lough Derg and died there, and that in course of time 
 a church with the above inscription was erected there to 
 bis memory, would be the merest conjecture. 
 
 It is more likely that the MacNisse referred to in the 
 inscription was St. MacNisse, first Bishop of Connor, and 
 Abbot there likewise. 
 
 The Bollandists in their Acta Sanctorum at the 3rd of 
 September give a detailed account of St. Aengus MacNisse. 
 He was baptised by St. Patrick:—“ Quern venerabilis 
 sanctus Patritius, Hibernorum Ajpostolus, baptizaviP^ 
 Of his education hy St. Olcan, or Bolcan, to whose 
 possessions he succeeded, it is added:— Bolcano vero 
 episcopo alendum atque clocendum dedit^ Of his 
 intimacy with St. Patrick the Tripartite Life thus assures 
 us:—And MacNisse of Condere read his psalms with 
 Patrick.” His pilgrimages to Home and Jerusalem, and 
 
 think that any rubbing which may be made in future, will show the 
 lettering as well as mine does; and I therefore look upon the latter as 
 highly interesting and valuable as an authority. It is sent herewith 
 for your inspection. You will, I think, be able to trace in it every 
 letter as I have given the inscription in the woodcut in your book. 
 Pray compare rubbing and woodcut.” 
 
 [Seeing that the woodcut was a perfect facsimile of the paper-mould 
 referred to, I left the latter aside, and it is now quite undecipherable. 
 -Ed.1 
 
LOUGH DERG. 
 
 71 
 
 to the other holy places of Palestine are thus related by 
 the Bollandists:— 
 
 “ Perfectus autem vir factus^ atque beato Patricio in episcopum 
 sucR gentis ordinaius, limina Apostolorum adiit, Jerusalem quoque, 
 aliaque sancta terrae repromissae loca visitavitP On his return 
 home after those distant pilgrimages, he founded the church 
 and monastery of Connor : — “ Connorense monasterium consimi- 
 tur, in quo usque hodie sedes episcopalis habeturP 
 
 He predicted the birth of St. Comgall, founder of the monas¬ 
 tery of Bangor. The veneration of St. Brigid towards him is 
 sufficiently conveyed in these words :— 
 
 “ Uaec de sancta Brigita dixit, quae pro utilibus causis eum 
 visitavifP 
 
 That St. Colman, first Bishop of Dromore, profited largely 
 by his counsel and training, we learn from the following 
 passage taken from his life by the Bollandists, at the 7th of 
 June: — Deinde saepe venerabilem Macnyseum Conderensem 
 episcopum petiit, qui hospitum praesciens adventum, eis necessaria 
 jussit pn'aepararL Ille itaque illuc perveniens, in omni hilaritate 
 suscepfus est; ibique paucis diebus mansit. Deinde, inito concilio, 
 venerabilem senem ubi locum serviendi Deo fundare deberet, consulit. 
 Qui respondit: voluntas Dei est ut in finibus Campi Coba Ubi 
 construas monasteriumP 
 
 St. MacNisse died on the 3rd of September, 514. He 
 is commemorated in the “Feilire” of St. Aengus thus :— 
 
 tTlActlippe CO miiix) 
 
 O CoTToepvo TtiApAix); 
 
 Which, is thus expressed in English :— 
 
 “MacNisse with thousands • 
 
 From the great Condere.” 
 
 He is called in a gloss on the “ Feilire,” C^eTriAn bpe^c 
 
 m<xc tiipi. 
 
72 
 
 ST. PATIUCK’s PUKGATOllY. 
 
 The inference which I would be inclined to draw from 
 our inscription is that St. MacNisse, in expiation of his 
 sins, went on a pilgrimage to St. Patrick’s Purgatory on 
 Lough Derg, and that the inscribed stone already referred 
 to was erected in the oratory in which he performed bis 
 penitential works; or, that a memorial church, of which 
 this was the titulus, was soon after erected there. 
 The admitted antiquity of the inscription which belongs 
 to the sixth, or at latest seventh century, confirms this 
 view. The opinion is greatly strengthened by the second 
 inscription, or legend, which appears on a corbel-shaped 
 font now lying on Station Island. The legend runs:— 
 
 In the second line of this inscription a small v is 
 inserted after the first I, which shows, as I believe, that the 
 engraver had forgotten it till after the remainder of the 
 inscription had been made out, and then inserted it in its 
 present crushed-up shape. This second inscription Dr. 
 O’Donovan saw on the occasion of his visit to Lough 
 Derg ; and, while he regarded it as comparatively modern, 
 he could not understand it, his conjecture being that it 
 referred to one of the Coarbs of Termon-Daveoc. 
 
 “Caeman Breac” was a cognomen bestowed on St. 
 MacNisse, and had its origin in a melancholy story, which 
 
LOUGH DEllG. 
 
 73 
 
 may be found narrated at length in Colgan’s “Trias 
 Thaumaturga” (Septima Yita S. Patricii, Lib. Ii., Cap. 134, 
 p. 147).* 
 
 If the reader will accept my conjectural views as to 
 these two inscribed stones, the obvious inference would 
 be that St. MacNisse, who was St. Patrick’s contemporary, 
 had been to Lough Derg on pilgrimage, in addition to the 
 pilgrimages recorded of him to the Tombs of the Apostles, 
 to Jerusalem, and the other sacred spots in the Holy 
 Land. Hence it would clearly follow that the pilgrimage 
 of Lough Derg dates from the time of St. Patrick, apostle 
 of Ireland, to whom as to its founder tradition ascribes it. 
 
 In the ninth century, there was an ecclesiastic, named 
 the Abbot Patrick, connected with Lough Derg. It 
 appears he was superior for some time of the religious 
 establishment there, and afterwards became abbot of the 
 principal house of his order at Armagh. His feast is 
 celebrated on the 24th of August, and his name is 
 entered in the Martyrology of Tcdlagh as “Patritius hosti- 
 arius et Abbas Armacanus.” He is said to have written 
 a life of our national Apostle ; and was considered by 
 some, though erroneously as we have shown some reason 
 to believe, to have been the founder f of the “Purgatory,” 
 
 * The Right Rev. Dr. Reeves, in his “ Ecclesiastical Antiquities of 
 Down and Connor,” refers to the story regarding the hand of MacNisse, 
 and states, on the authority of the Septima Vita, that it was buried in 
 a place called after it Carn-lamha, i.e. tumulus Manus. May it not 
 have been that the inscribed stone entitled Manus Goimani at Lough 
 Derg was really the receptacle (as the hollow space in its centre, 
 resembling a font or stoup for holy water, would suit the purpose,) of 
 the hand thus miraculously severed at the instance of St. Patrick in 
 punishment of the grievous lapse of MacNisse ? 
 
 + The chronicles of John Brompton, a Cistercian abbot, Gerald 
 Cambrensis and Henry Knighton, hazard the view that the Abbot 
 Patrick, who lived four centuries after our national apostle, was the 
 founder of the Purgatory. On the other hand, the Bollandist Fathers 
 
74 
 
 ST. PATRICKS PURGATORY. 
 
 or place of penance at Lough Derg. His death is said to 
 have occurred in the year 850. 
 
 Regarding him, or St. Patrick major (it is not stated 
 which), a singular tradition is preserved at Lough Derg, 
 which obtains implicit credence among the artless inhabi¬ 
 tants of that locality. 
 
 Now, as to the traditions embodied in this book, while 
 I do not profess myself to be so incredulous in the matter 
 of local traditions as Dr. O’Donovan does, yet I well know 
 that the historical accuracy of many of them cannot be 
 sustained. In relating them I do not undertake to estab- 
 lish their accuracy, but merely state them as I received 
 them, leaving to the reader to attach to them whatever 
 importance he may deem fit. 
 
 Considering that the Celtic people have been always an 
 imaginative race, we need not wonder that some historical 
 facts, especially certain events in the lives of the Irish 
 saints, who were so affectionately venerated, became sur¬ 
 rounded and embellished by poetic and imaginary glosses, 
 until in the lapse of time the nucleus of fact became so 
 entangled in the network of fiction as to be hardly distin¬ 
 guishable. Hence it comes that many of the popular 
 traditions of our country are to be received with con¬ 
 siderable caution and reservation ; and although some of 
 
 incline to the opinion that it was not the Abbot Patrick, but the great 
 8t. Patrick, who was the founder of the Purgatory. Of the same 
 opinion is the Spanish writer, Sr. D. Fr. Benito G. Feijoo (2nd Edition, 
 Madrid, 1769), who, replying to the query, “Why is it called the Cave or 
 Purgatory of St. Patrick?” says:—“Most probably St. Patrick had 
 spent some time in this cave doing penance; and this would supply a 
 motive as to why so many afterwards, either thinking the place sancti* 
 fied by a man so eminent in virtue, or desiring to imitate him, should 
 enter the cave in order to mortify themselves. The love of the Irish 
 towards their Apostle has extended and propagated this devotion 
 during the succeeding ages.” 
 
LOUGH DERG. 
 
 75 
 
 these traditions may not be relied upon as conveying 
 historical truth, they are valuable in a variety of ways, 
 and are therefore worthy of preservation. Many of them 
 contain a grain of historical truth, and when viewed in 
 the light and with the aid of contemporaneous events, are 
 found to be of much advantage to the historian; while 
 even those that are purely imaginary and legendary may 
 be also useful, inasmuch as they suggest and indicate the 
 manners and customs, the simple and confiding faith, the 
 social habits, modes of thought, etc., of our remote an¬ 
 cestors. 
 
 To return to my subject. The story is told that in 
 ancient times Lough Derg abounded in salmon and 
 salmon-trout, the same as its near neighbour Lough Erne. 
 The lake gave an unfailing supply of salmon, as we are 
 told, to the frugal table of the good monks; and little 
 exertion was needed to secure a plentiful supply of this 
 much-prized fish. On a certain occasion the monks were 
 expecting St. Patrick on his visitation; and, in order to 
 have salmon for the saint’s repast, they stayed out fishing 
 most of the day. Having failed in their efforts, they were 
 sorely perplexed in consequence. All this they explained 
 to the saint, who declared that henceforth salmon should 
 no more inhabit the waters of Lough Derg. In proof of 
 the foregoing incident, the legend goes on to say, that 
 about sixty years ago, a gentleman of the sceptical school, 
 having heard the story as already narrated, put himself to 
 some trouble in order to falsify the saint’s prediction. 
 Having procured salmon from a distance, he carefully 
 marked and deposited them in the lake; when lo! next 
 morning, the salmon were found in a net which had been 
 placed in the river Derg to prevent their escape. 
 
 Little over forty years ago, Dr. O’Donovan related the 
 same story; and, if only to show how much those legends 
 
76 
 
 ST. Patrick’s purgatory. 
 
 are altered and exaggerated, even in a short period of 
 time, I shall give his version of it. He says:— 
 
 “No salmon come into the lake, though they come up to the 
 very throat of the river. Two fishermen (who had a weir near 
 the source of the Derg) cast two live salmon into the lake not 
 many years ago, to see if they’d remain there; and in order to 
 know them they cut off a part of their fins and tails, but on 
 their return they found the same salmon caught in their cochal, 
 or net. This is attributed to the curse of St. Patrick.” 
 
 As a matter of fact salmon cannot be found in Lough 
 Derg. The lake, however, abounds in trout, and affords 
 excellent fishing. In this respect, perhaps, scarcely any 
 other lake in Ireland can compete with it. During the 
 summer and autumn a day seldom passes without witness¬ 
 ing a number of arrivals of those on fishing bent, and such 
 followers of Isaac Walton are generally rewarded with a 
 numerous take. Trout weighing six or eight pounds are 
 occasionally landed, but those most commonly caught do 
 not exceed a pound in weight. When a gentle “fresh” 
 is blowing, no more contemplative or enticing pastime can 
 be desired than playing a well-trimmed “cast” off the 
 shoals and reefs, which are so numerous throughout the 
 lake. And well may we imagine how the monks of Lough 
 Derg in the olden time, notwithstanding their prayerful 
 and penitential lives, enjoyed to their heart’s content this 
 delightful recreation as they sailed over its sparkling waters 
 in their skin-covered currachs. 
 
 Eels, also, are to be found in Lough Derg. Near the 
 mouth of the river Derg remains of an eel-weir may be 
 seen. Of late years pike has made its way into the lake, 
 and some fish of this class have been caught weighing 
 over thirty pounds. Those “fresh water sharks” have 
 hitherto made sad havoc on the trout of the lake; but it 
 
LOUGH DERG. 
 
 77 
 
 is satisfactory to find that large numbers of them each 
 year during the spawning season are netted in the streams 
 flowing into the lake, and in this way it is hoped their 
 number will be greatly diminished. Through the sur-^ 
 rounding mountains, foxes* have been making similar 
 havoc among the hares and heathfowl. They find a 
 natural covert in certain caves and crevices on the sides of 
 Groagh-Kinnagoe. Their number, however, is being rapidly 
 reduced, as each year beyond a score of them are trapped 
 and destroyed. 
 
 On the northern shore of the lake, not far from where 
 the lake finds its only outlet, may be seen a beautiful 
 white strand. The natives call it the ‘‘ Jack-stone shore.’’ 
 Here are to be met with smoothly-rounded pebbles, small 
 shells also, and a velvet strand, such as may be seen on 
 the sea-shore. It is beyond question that many of the 
 lakes and rivers of Ireland contain pearls ; of this the 
 river Bann is a notable instance, where pearls have been 
 found of great value. They are found in a species of 
 mussel—the unio atratus —of an oval shape, about three 
 or four inches long, by two broad.f That Lough Derg, 
 
 * What the foxes are to the heath game, otters are to the fishes of 
 the lake. That otters are numerous in Lough Derg is unquestionable. 
 A little beyond Blackwater Hill I chanced to see during one of my 
 excursions a pair of otters basking in the sunshine on the shore, and, 
 when apprised of our approach, they rushed precipitately into the lake. 
 
 t “ It is generally in deep pools with loamy bottoms that the fish are 
 found. In the shallow pools or still water they are taken by wading 
 in and collecting them by the foot, and throwing them out upon the 
 bank. In the deep water they are taken by thrusting a long stick 
 between the valves when the shell is open. The white substance of 
 the fish directs the eye to the mark. It is most generally in diseased 
 shells that the best pearls are to be had. These are known by their 
 wrinkled and branded appearance. When a large quantity has been 
 fished up they are left in heaps to decompose, after which they are 
 carefully washed, and the pearls collected from the residuum.”—J. B. 
 Doyle’s Tours in Ulster, p. 134. 
 
78 
 
 ST. Patrick’s purgatory. 
 
 also, yields pearls has been lately ascertained. In the 
 summer of 1874, a pearl-fisher came to the lake on pil¬ 
 grimage. He was an Italian, and, like so many of his 
 countrymen, possessed the gift of music in a high degree, 
 with which he wakened up many sweet echoes in his 
 journey through this mountain district. Having reached 
 the lake he made a search for pearls along the shore, and 
 at the river Barderg was successful in finding a few, 
 which, however, being small and of an inferior quality were, 
 as he said, worth but a few shillings each. 
 
 There’s music in the lake and fountain, 
 
 There’s melody in vale and mountain; 
 
 The hymn that’s sung by rock and river 
 Is—Blessed be God’s name for ever. 
 
LOUGH DERG. 
 
 79 
 
 CHAPTER VIIL 
 
 PROBABLE DESTRUCTION OF ST. DABHEOC’S MONASTERY BY 
 THE DANES—ITS COLONISATION BY AUGUSTINIAN CANONS 
 —PILCxRIMAGE OF THE KNIGHT OWEN. 
 
 “ He next for Ireland shaped his course, 
 
 And saw the fabulous Hibernia, where 
 The goodly sainted elder made the Cave, 
 
 In which men cleansed of all offences are ; 
 
 Such mercy there, it seems, is found to save.” 
 
 — ArioHto, Orlando Furioso,'’ translated by W. S. Bose. 
 
 ROM the fifth until the close of the eighth 
 century Ireland won for herself among the 
 nations the honourable distinction of being 
 called the Insula Doctorum et Sanctorum, 
 It was her golden era. From the beginning 
 the ninth century, however, down to the 
 battle of Clontarf in 1014, the bright scene had 
 changed. During this period the Danes pillaged and laid 
 desolate most of the religious houses throughout Ireland. 
 That Lough Derg shared in the common fate is only too 
 likely ; for, we find in the Four Masters^ under the year 
 836, that “the churches of Lough Erne were destroyed 
 by the Galls” (the Danish invaders), “ with Clones, 
 Devenish, etc.” During the long and cruel struggle 
 with the Danes, who are called in our annals “foreigners,” 
 and also “ black gentiles,” pilgrimage to the shrine of St. 
 Patrick’s Purgatory, even supposing that the place could 
 have escaped pillage, would have been a most perilous 
 
80 
 
 ST. Patrick’s purgatory. 
 
 undertaking. Hence we might expect that the sanctuary, 
 if not utterly demolished by the Danes, had been well 
 nigh abandoned during a considerable period, and had for 
 the time lost much of its popularity and attractiveness. 
 
 Some time after the rout and expulsion of the Danes, 
 religious of the Augustinian order-were introduced into 
 Ireland. They took possession of the ruined cloisters of 
 Lough Derg, Devenish, Clones, and many others through^ 
 out the country. Imar, Archbishop of Armagh, is said to 
 have been the first to introduce them into Ireland, about 
 the year 1126, and to have put under their charge the 
 abbey founded by him at Armagh, and placed under the 
 invocation of the Apostles SS. Peter and Paul. It is 
 asserted that the monastery occupied by these venerable 
 canons at Lough Derg was also dedicated to the same 
 holy Apostles. Ware states that this house of the 
 Augustinian Canons at Lough Derg, according to the 
 Register of John Bole (sometime Archbishop of Armagh, 
 and who died anno 1470), is called “ the filial place of the 
 monastery of the Apostles Peter and Paul of Armagh.” 
 
 With the introduction of the Canons Regular of St. 
 Augustine^ the second epoch in the history of Lough 
 Derg is reached, which as far excelled the glory of the 
 first, as the third epoch, dating from the post-Reformation 
 period, is destined, we hope, to transcend the glory of 
 both. Under the pious Canons life was again infused 
 into the withered bones, pilgrimage to Lough Derg 
 received a fresh impetus, and the sanctuary soon shone 
 forth in brighter lustre than previously. The Canons 
 Regular continued in charge at Lough Derg for about five 
 
 * So widespread did the Augustinian order become throughout 
 Ireland that at the time of the confiscation of monastic property in the 
 sixteenth century no less than two hundred and thirty-one liouses 
 belonged to that order. 
 
LOUGU DERG. 
 
 81 
 
 hundred years, from the twelfth to the seventeenth cen¬ 
 tury. 
 
 It is matter for regret that Dr. Lanigan, in his Ecclesi¬ 
 astical History of Ireland (Yol. L, p. 868), should, in 
 writing of this retreat, exhibit a want of discrimination 
 and judgment little in keeping with his acknowledged 
 character as an historian:—“It will not,” he says, “ be 
 expected that I should waste my time with giving an 
 account of the so-called Patrick’s Purgatory of Lough 
 Derg, or examining if there could be any foundation for 
 attributing it to our Apostle. It is never mentioned in 
 any of the Lives, nor was it, I believe, heard of until the 
 eleventh century, the period at which the Canons Regular 
 at first appeared. For, it was to persons of that order, as 
 the story goes, that St. Patrick confided the care of that 
 cavern of wonders.” It is easy to understand how Dr. 
 Lanigan was led into this mistake, when we reflect that 
 he spent so many years of his life out of Ireland. With 
 the historical writings and records relating to his country 
 he was, indeed, profoundly conversant, but its archaeology, 
 topography and local traditions, such useful handmaids of 
 history, were to him sealed fountains. If we are to admit 
 only such facts as are recorded in the early Lives and 
 Acts of St. Patrick, then we should on similar grounds 
 reject as spurious many statements and traditions re¬ 
 garding the early Irish Saints, many of which are now 
 accepted by historians as well-established facts. Strange 
 to think, Dr. Lanigan seems to base his argument against 
 the origin and antiquity of St. Patrick’s Purgatory on the 
 authority of a little tract, which Colgan says he found in 
 a MS. placed after the end of the Vita Tripartita, and 
 which he attributes to the author of the Tripartite Life. 
 That it was not written by the author of the Tripartite 
 appears certain from the mention in it of Canons Regular, 
 
 F 
 
82 
 
 ST. Patrick’s purgatory. 
 
 a class of persons then unknown. It appears to be a 
 transcript of the Monk, Henry of Saltrey. In this little 
 tract it is said :— 
 
 “ Statiinque Beatus Batricius in eodem loco ecclesiam construxit, 
 et Beati Pafris Augustirii Canonicos vitam apostolicam sectantes in 
 ca constituit; fossam autem pmdictam, quce in coemeterio est extra 
 frontem ecclesice orienialem, muro circimdedit, et jamias semsquc 
 apposuit, ne quis earn aumi temerario et sine licentia ingredi prcesu- 
 rneret, clavem mro custodiendam commendavit priori ecclesice ejus- 
 dem^ et quoniam horno a peccatis purgetur, locus ilk Purgatorium 
 Sii. Patricii nominaturP 
 
 As most of the monasteries laid desolate during the 
 Danish wars were, repeopled by Canons Regular, the 
 custom gradually obtained of calling their monastic pre¬ 
 decessors Canons Regular, and in this way St. Patrick 
 himself was called a Canon Regular, and his feast as such 
 regularly observed in their order. Had Dr. Lanigan 
 made allowance for this intelligible and, in the circum¬ 
 stances, pardonable fiction; or, had he, like the Spanish 
 critic Feijoo, only made a closer study of the subject, we 
 would be spared the sweeping and uncalled for strictures 
 already quoted. Had Dr. Lanigan been only aware of 
 the ancient remains, inscriptions and traditions at the 
 place, as well as the references in the ancient Irish 
 writings pointing to St. Patrick, St. Dabheoc, and other 
 holy abbots, who presided over this monastic and peni¬ 
 tential retreat, he would have been spared the opprobrium 
 of assailing the origin and antiquity of this venerable 
 pilgrimage. Jocelyn, also, impugns the Patrician origin 
 of Lough Derg, for the sole reason, as it would appear, 
 that it detracts from the fame of his favourite pilgrimage 
 of Croagh-Patrick, that of Lough Derg having been 
 established, as he sa 3 ^s, by the Augustinians in opposition 
 
LOUGH DERG. 
 
 83 
 
 to it. Bat the reasons we have adduced against Dr. 
 Lanigan’s views will sufficiently meet Jocelyn’s objections 
 as well. 
 
 Touching the occupation of Lough Derg by the Aiigus- 
 tinian order, the following lengthy extract from Dr. 
 Lanigan’s Eccl. Hist. (Vol. IV., p. 348), must prove inter¬ 
 esting :— 
 
 “About the twelfth century the Irish monasteries very 
 generally adopted the rule of the Canons Regular of St. Augus¬ 
 tine. Nor was the transition difficult: for the old Irish rules 
 did not, in substance, differ much from that of the said canons, 
 inasmuch as they were not as strictly monastical as those of 
 the Egyptian, Basilian, or Benedictine monks, and allowed, 
 without particular dispensation, the union of the active service 
 of the Church, such as practised by the secular clergy, with the 
 monastic regulations, which, although varying more or less, 
 were, as I have often remarked, founded on the system which 
 St. Patrick had seen followed at Lerins and at Tours, and 
 which he introduced into Ireland. Now the characteristic 
 feature of the Canons Regular, which distinguishes them from 
 monks, emphatically so called, is, that although they make 
 vows and are bound to observe certain laws similar to those of 
 the monks, they are capable of practising the functions which 
 usually belong to the secular clergy. Yet the system of the 
 ancient Irish clergy was much more severe than the Canons 
 Regular, as is clear from the rule of St. Columbauus, which 
 was taken from those of the monasteries in Ireland, particularly 
 that of Bangor, of which that great saint had been a member.” 
 
 From the foregoing we can well understand how certain 
 of the priors of this monastery, and doubtless others of 
 the community as well, are recorded as holding parishes 
 and other dignities in the diocese within which this 
 establishment was situated. 
 
 Soon after the Canons Regular of St. Augustine came 
 
84 
 
 ST. Patrick’s purgatory. 
 
 to Lough Derg, there occurred au event which served to 
 give this island retreat much of its Continental fame. It 
 so happened that in the twelfth century, an Irish soldier, 
 in various accounts called Owen, Oieo, Owain, Eogan, 
 Euennius, or Ennius,who had served as a crusader 
 under the standard of King Stephen, after quitting mili¬ 
 tary service, felt remorse of conscience for the irregu¬ 
 larities of an ill-spent life. In the account published by 
 Monteluan the wickedness of his early life is fully 
 detailed; but Henry of Saltrey, Mathew of Paris, and 
 our own countryman Colgan dismiss this part of his 
 career with a few words only. Hearing of St. Patrick’s 
 Purgatory, he determined on making a pilgrimage to it 
 in order to find rest for his troubled soul. 
 
 The narrative of the Knight Owen should be received 
 with the proverbial “grain of salt;” for, it was written at 
 a time when the love of the marvellous held great sway 
 over the minds of men. Highly sensational and chivalrous 
 
 * He is called Ludovicus Ennius by Monteluan, a Spanish writer, 
 upon whose work Calderon founded one of his most charming dramas, 
 El Purgatorio de San Patricio, which in turn has been rendered into 
 English by the late Denis Florence M‘Carthy. The earliest printed 
 
 account we have of this Owen, or Ennius, is given in Wynkin de 
 
 Worde’s “Polychronicon,” published at Westminster in 1495, thus :— 
 “ In this Steven’s tyme a Knight that hyght Owen wente into the 
 Purgatory of the second Patrick, abbot, and not byshoppe. He came 
 agayne and dwelled in the abbaye of Ludene of Whyte Monks in 
 
 Irlonde, and tolde of joye and of paynes that he had seen.” The MS. 
 
 account of Owen’s pilgrimage had existed for three hundred years 
 before the Polychronicon was printed. It was written by Henry, 
 monk of Saltrey in Huntingdonshire, from the account he had re¬ 
 ceived from Gilbert, a monk of the Cistercian abbey of the Blessed 
 Virgin Mary at Louth. Colgan published this^MS. nearly in full in 
 his Trias, Louvain, 1647. Mathew of Paris, in his History of England 
 under date 1153, the last year of the reign of King Stephen, agrees 
 pretty much with Colgan in his account of the adventures of Owen in 
 St. Patrick’s Purgatory. 
 
LOUGH DERG. 
 
 85 
 
 accounts of the Christian Knights, of their exploits in the 
 Crusades, together with the passion for romance, kept 
 alive by the Trouveres and Troubadours, pervade the 
 literature of the period and obscure passing events under 
 the colouring of fiction. Hence, we may regard the 
 different accounts of the Knight’s Vision, and of the 
 poems founded thereon by Dante, Ariosto, and Calderon, 
 as containing much that is largely imaginary and poetic. 
 According to Mathew of Paris, Owen received permission 
 from the King to pass into Ireland in order to see his 
 parents. Whilst here, he finally made up his mind to 
 undertake a pilgrimage to St. Patrick’s Purgatory; and 
 with that intent fortified himself with the usual permis¬ 
 sion from the bishop of the diocese, and from the prior of 
 the Island, both of whom in vain strove to dissuade him 
 from his purpose. The Knight’s pilgrimage occurred, 
 according to Mathew of Paris, in 1153. He prepared 
 himself by a fifteen days’ fast and prayer before entering 
 the cave. After this Mass was said, the pilgrim received 
 a salutary instruction. Holy Communion was administered, 
 and a procession of monks clothed in white was formed to 
 conduct the pilgrim to the mouth of the cave. In one of 
 the metrical versions of Owen’s pilgrimage, it is thus 
 related:— 
 
 *■ Every priest and every man 
 Went with hym yn processoun; 
 
 And as lowde as they myghte crye, 
 
 For hym they songe the letanye. 
 
 And browte hym fayre ynto the entre, 
 
 Ther as Syr Owayne wolde be.” 
 
 The prior having secured the mouth of the cave, the 
 knight soon found himself in a large cloistered hall, in 
 which were fifteen religious, clothed in white garments. 
 
86 
 
 ST, PATRICK’S PURGATORY. 
 
 One of them, preparing him for the attacks of the evil 
 spirits he was to encounter, warned him to invoke the 
 powerful name of Jesus to his aid. This advice is thus 
 given in the same metrical version of Saltrey’s narra¬ 
 tive ;— 
 
 “ But if they will thee beat or bind, 
 
 Look thou have these words in mind : 
 
 ‘Jesus, as Thou art full of might. 
 
 Have mercy on me, sinful knight! ’ 
 
 And evermore have in thy thought 
 Jesus, that thee so dear has bought.” 
 
 After the fifteen ecclesiastics had left, the Knight found 
 himself surrounded by demons, who by various threats 
 and blandishments tried to persuade him to return. 
 Finding him immovable in his purpose, they conducted 
 him from place to place where innumerable persons were 
 enduring various torments, but at each new danger, by 
 repeating the sacred name of Jesus, he escaped. Having 
 thus passed intact through indescribable sufferings, he 
 next approached the most perilous of all, namely, the 
 transit of a bridge, which was high, narrow, and slippery 
 as ice. This crossing was inevitable, unless he wished to 
 return to the door of the cave from which he had set out. 
 With slow and timid footsteps he proceeded to cross the 
 bridge, his heart all the time centered in God, and the 
 sweet name of Jesus on his lips. Beneath flowed a river 
 of sulphur, from which thick fetid clouds arose, and in 
 which great multitudes of demons were waiting to assail 
 him. Becovering his courage he went forward until he 
 arrived at the other side of the bridge. Here the scene 
 completely changed. The visions of hell and purgatory 
 gave way to that of the celestial paradise. He was led to 
 a gate in a resplendent wall, which was set with pearls and 
 precious stones. This heavenly sight caused him to forget 
 
LOUGH DERG. 
 
 87 
 
 the dangers and sufferings he had hitherto undergone. 
 Here the most enchanting scenes and the sweetest melody 
 so captivated his heart that he desired never to depart 
 from this paradise. But he was not so permitted; for, he 
 was compelled to return to the entrance of the cave, 
 where the fifteen ecclesiastics awaited his coming. Having 
 spent a day in their company, and being told by them the 
 coming events of his life, he left the cave, and received 
 the congratulations of the Prior and Canons on his safe 
 return. After spending fifteen more days on the island, 
 and after relating his adventures and visions to the com¬ 
 munity of monks, he took his departure from Lough Derg; 
 and amongst others communicated an account of his pil¬ 
 grimage to Gilbert of Lud, or Louth, a Cistercian monk, 
 who in turn related it to Henry of Saltrey. After leading 
 a truly Christian and edifying life to an advanced old age, 
 death closed the pilgrim soldier’s career:— 
 
 “ He died and went the bright way, 
 
 To the bliss that lasts for aye; 
 
 To that bliss may He us bring 
 That of all is Lord and King.” 
 
 Henry of Saltrey thus accounts for his knowledge of 
 Owen’s vision :— 
 
 “ He says that Gervasius, abbot of Louth, or Lud, in Lincoln¬ 
 shire, obtained from King Stephen a grant of land in Ireland 
 upon which to build a monastery. For this purpose one of his 
 monks, Gilbert, was sent into Ireland with the Knight Owen, 
 who accompanied him as servant and interpreter of the Irish 
 language. Whenever they were alone together, the monk 
 asked him minutely concerning Purgatory, and the marvellous 
 modes of punishment which he had there seen and felt; but 
 the Knight, who could never hear of Purgatory with||it weep¬ 
 ing bitterly, told his friend, for his edification, a^^|^^|||||^he 
 
88 
 
 ST. Patrick’s purgatory. 
 
 seal of secrecy, all that he had seen and experienced, and 
 affirmed that he had seen it all with his own eyes. By the 
 care and diligence of Gilbert, all that the Knight had said was 
 reduced to writing, together with the narratives of the bishops 
 and other ecclesiastics of that country, who, for truth’s sake, 
 gave their testimony to the facts. Lately, also, I did speak 
 with one who was nephew of Patrick, the third of that name, 
 the companion of St. Malachias, by name Florentinianus,* in 
 whose bishopric, as he said, that Purgatory was: of whom 
 having seriously inquired, he answered: ‘ Truly, brother, that 
 place is within my bishopric, and many perish in that Purga¬ 
 tory; and those, who perchance return, do, by reason of the 
 extreme torments they have endured, ever look pale and 
 languid.’ The aforesaid narrative the said Gilbert did often 
 repeat in my hearing, according as he had often heard it from 
 the Knight.” 
 
 Henry of Saltrey wrote his account of Owen’s pil¬ 
 grimage in the year 1153. The narrative was speedily 
 translated into several languages, and most of the religious 
 
 * No such name is to be met with in Ware’s List of Bishops, for 
 either Clogher, or Raphoe, about the time in question. In Ware’s 
 Annals of Ireland, under the year 1174, is recorded the death of one 
 Florenee O’Gorman, Lector in the Academy of Armagh, a man of great 
 learning, who had received his education for several years in England 
 and France. Though not a bishop, he may have had some official 
 connection with St. Patrick’s Purgatory. This I admit is an im¬ 
 probable and not sufficiently sustained conjecture. 
 
 In the List of Bishops of the diocese of Derry at that period we 
 meet with one Florence O’Cervallen, who may have been the informant 
 of Henry of Saltrey. This Florence ruled the See of Derry for forty-six 
 years, and died anno 1230, aged eighty-six years. Of him it could not 
 with strict propriety be said, that St. Patrick’s Purgatory was “within 
 his bishopric but the words may be taken in a wide sense to signify 
 that it was close to and adjoining his diocese. For, as a matter of 
 fact, the diocese of Derry adjoins the territory of Termon-Daveog, and 
 one ofJ|A|^rishes, Termonamongan, approaches almost to the verge of 
 
LOUGH DERG. 
 
 89 
 
 houses over the Continent, as well as in these kingdoms, 
 possessed a copy. A metrical version, after the style so 
 popular at the period, was also composed, and at the 
 present day several of those metrical versions are extant. 
 Two of them are in the British Museum, also a copy in 
 the Cotton collection, and it dates from the fifteenth 
 century. There is another metrical version in the Auchin- 
 leck collection in Scotland; and Sir Walter Scott mentions 
 in his Border Minstrelsy, that there is a curious Metrical 
 Romance in the Advocates’ Library, Edinburgh, called 
 “The Legend of Sir Owain.” He gives some stanzas 
 from it. It was written in the early part of the fourteenth 
 century. Marie of France, the celebrated Anglo-Norman 
 poetess of the twelfth century, has versified the legend in 
 her own language, of which an extract, literally translated, 
 is given in the Ulster Journal of Archaeology (Yol. lY.) 
 In that Journal is to be found a learned article on 
 St. Patrick’s Purgatory, by William Pinkerton. An anti¬ 
 quarian illustration is there reproduced, taken from an 
 illuminated MS. of the fifteenth century, belonging to the 
 Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris. The same illustration is 
 given (but in a ruder manner) in the “Book of Days,” 
 and also in Miss Cusack’s “Life of St. Patrick.” The 
 inscription, which is as quaint as the drawing, runs 
 thus:—“Ici commence le Purgatoire de Monseigneur 
 St. Patrice.” In September, 1887, I had occasion to 
 •consult in the Bibliotheque de la Ville, Palais St Vaast, 
 Arras, a MS. copy * * of the narrative of Henry of Saltrey, 
 
 * This rare MS. is classed in the Library “No. 897.” It is written 
 on white vellum, and includes, besides the “ Legende an Purgatoire de 
 St. Patrice,” the following :—“ Le J?,oman de la Rose,” “ Le Testament 
 de Jean de Meun,” “La Legencle de Fulbert,” etc. The Library 
 Catalogue thus describes this remarkable illuminated volume:—“In 
 folio parvo —velim blanc—trace au crayon—deuz colonnes—14 siecle— 
 
 • ecriture cfe romans—miniatures grossierement executees.” 
 
90 
 
 ST. Patrick’s purgatory. 
 
 in French, of the fourteenth century. At the opening 
 page is given an illustration in red, green, and white 
 colours, representing St. Patrick, clad in monastic dress, 
 and witnessing a pilgrim entering the penitential cave or 
 “ Purgatory.” The narrative comprises fifteen columns of 
 the MS. It commences, as the Catalogue describes, “ sans 
 litre ni rubrique,” with the Latin word “ Inciqnt,” and its 
 ending is “Explicit le Purgatoire St. Patrice,” in large 
 letters. The first letter of the text is richly illuminated 
 in colours of blue and red, and the opening paragraph 
 runs thus:—“Sains Patris prechoit en Irlande, et pour 
 ce que il trouvoit la gent bestial, grant paine metoit de 
 eulz retraire de leur erreur pour la pavour d’lnfer, et pour 
 Tamour des joyes de paradis. Mais ils desoyent que ja 
 ne se convertiroyent, ne pour miracles, ne pour sa predi¬ 
 cations, se aucune d’eulz ne veoit le tormens des pecheurs 
 et les joyes des justes.” From the second column I give 
 the following brief extracts:—“ Et sistit illuc line eglise et 
 sanctos canones del ordine saint Augustin et erigit seu 
 
 enclost la fosse et muros au front de I’eglise.et ille 
 
 fosse est appele Purgatoire Saint Patris . . . et eglise est 
 appele reglis.” 
 
 When we examine critically the pilgrimage of the 
 Knight Owen, we find no grounds for saying that the 
 penitential exercises as then enjoined differed in any 
 essential particular from the ritual of the pilgrimage at 
 present in observance. Making due allowance for the 
 fanciful embellishments of the pilgrim’s narrative, as 
 also of the chronicler, we can infer the following facts. 
 1st, That permission to enter the island was then as now 
 indispensable. 2nd, That a spiritual retreat of fifteen 
 days was required, and Hoxy Communion administered 
 before entering the Purgatorial Cave. This is still ob¬ 
 served, but in a mitigated and modified degree. Srd, That 
 
LOUGH DERG. 
 
 91 
 
 spiritual admonitions had been given, and that the pilgrim 
 remained in the grotto of penance twenty-four hours. 
 This discipline is still maintained. 
 
 As to the perilous journey over the slippery bridge, this 
 may be only a poetical exaggeration of the danger in¬ 
 curred by the voyage from the Island of the Purgatory, 
 the present Station Island, to Saints’ Island, where the 
 Augustinian monastery stood. This latter island was 
 approached, as we have already seen, by a bridge of 
 beams, which spanned the narrow channel separating 
 Saints’ Island from the mainland. In fine, the pilgrim, 
 on reaching the monastery, after the long and arduous 
 course of penance he had passed through, might well 
 imagine himself in some terrestrial paradise, and the 
 devotional rule of life followed by the monks served only 
 to strengthen the idea. 
 
 Neither is there anything improbable in the fact, that 
 to a pilgrim, such as the Knight Owen, after undergoing 
 a rigorous penance, almost beyond the powers of human 
 endurance, and to the rigours of which many had previously 
 succumbed, should be vouchsafed a sight of the various 
 degrees of punishment for sin, and also of the happy state 
 of the blessed. Such visions God has deigned to grant to 
 many of His servants at various periods; among the rest 
 we may mention as instances, St. Catherine and St. Teresa. 
 In the midst of a sinful age, the narrative of the pilgrim 
 soldier arrested the minds of men; and thus it served, 
 under Divine Providence, to spread abroad the fame of 
 St. Patrick’s Purgatory, and to attract to its sanctuary 
 from ev^/ry nation throughout Christendom pilgrims of 
 every rank from the prince to the peasant. 
 
 The legend as described by Henry of Saltrey and 
 Mathew of Paris, was copied from monastery to monastery 
 until it became familiar over the Continent of Europe. It 
 
92 
 
 ST. Patrick’s purgatory. 
 
 found its way into the hands of the great medieval poets. 
 Ariosto read it, as is clearly seen from the extract pre¬ 
 fixed to this chapter. Dante,* too, was conversant with, it 
 as appears from the plan and various passages of the 
 Divina Comedia; and Denis Florence M‘Carthy,referring 
 to this legend, says, “ It is not too much to say that without 
 it the Divina Comedia of Dante would never have taken 
 the form it did.” Upon this pilgrimage of the Knight 
 Owen, the Spanish poet Calderon, so celebrated for his 
 sacred dramas, founded one of his most charming plays, to 
 which reference has already been made, and to which 
 further reference, and at greater length, shall occur here¬ 
 after. 
 
 * A remarkably able article from the pen of a learned lady, the late 
 Mrs. Sarah Atkinson, has appeared in the Irish Monthly of the year 1884 
 (pp. 74-127), on the “Dittamondo” of Fazio degli Uberti. The reader 
 will find in it not only Uberti’s reference to Lough Derg, but also an 
 exhaustive treatment of St. Patrick’s Purgatory, as it was known to 
 medieval writers, and the influence which the vision of the Knight 
 ■Owen, the voyage of St. Brendan and the vision of Tundale had upon 
 Dante’s Divina Gomedia. 
 
LOUGH DERG. 
 
 93 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 TIERNAN O’ROURKE, PRINCE OF BREFFNY, ON PILGRIMAGE 
 AT LOUGH DERG—DISTINGUISHED FOREIGN PILGRIMS— 
 NARRATIVE OF JACOBUS DE VORAGINE. 
 
 lERNAN O’ROURKE, prince of Breffny,was 
 one of the most warlike of Irish chieftains. 
 For about half a century, from 1124 till 
 1172, when he met with an untimely death, 
 he took part in the wars, predatory incur- 
 cursions, deeds of daring and bloodshed, which 
 distracted his unhappy country, as also in the 
 patriotic effort to resist the English invasion. In 1152, 
 his wife, Dervorgilla, that ‘‘ degenerate daughter of Erin,” 
 eloped with his rival, the infamous M‘Murrough. Der- 
 vorgil, after reaching the advanced age of eighty-five, 
 closed her ill-fated career in the Convent of Mellifont, in 
 the year 1193, after having undergone a lengthened course 
 of penance. It is said that her elopement with M'Murrough 
 took place whilst her husband was away on pilgrimage, 
 and the tradition is kept at Lough Derg that O’Rourke 
 sought the penitential refuge of St. Patrick’s Purgatory to 
 find consolation for his troubled conscience; and, that 
 after performing the usual round of exercises at that 
 retreat, he returned home to his castle at Dromohair to 
 find himself betrayed by his rival. Dr. O’Donovan, in his 
 Donegal Letters, also refers to the same tradition. This 
 incident is wedded to immortal verse in the well-known 
 melody of Moore, beginning thus:— 
 
 “ The valley lay smiling before me, 
 Where lately I left her behind,” etc. 
 
ST. PATRICK’S PURGATORY. 
 
 9A 
 
 Nor will it railitate against this tradition, to say that on 
 the occasion referred to, Tier nan O’Rourke made pilgrimage 
 to Clonmacnoise, or to some other of the many places of 
 pilgrim age, which were then frequented throughout Ireland; 
 for, about that period it was usual for pilgrims to make a 
 circuit of “the most famous sanctuaries in Ireland.” Even 
 those who journeyed to foreign sanctuaries, fortified and 
 prepared themselves for such distant journeys, by first 
 making pilgrimage to the most famous shrines of religion 
 in their own country. Of this usage different instances 
 are recorded in the registries of Armagh; and a remark¬ 
 able instance is there related of one Aeneas M‘Michael, 
 who, by way of penance, visited no less than seventeen 
 places of pilgrimage throughout Ireland, among the rest 
 “St. Patrick’s Purgatory at Lough Derg, in O’Donnell’s 
 country.” 
 
 The Rev. Mervyn Archdall, of the Fermanagh family of 
 that name, who wrote his Monasticon Hihernicon about 
 the middle of the last century, mentions a few facts re¬ 
 garding St. Patrick’s Purgatory, during the time the 
 Augustinians were in charge of it, which I have not seen 
 stated elsewhere. 
 
 Archdall writes:—“ St. Dabheoc is said to have been 
 buried in the abbey” (on Saints’ Island). “It had a fine 
 chapel, with convenient houses for the monks, the remains 
 of which may yet be seen. One of the St. Patricks was 
 Prior here about the year 850. 
 
 “ Noth withstanding the reputed holiness of this cele¬ 
 brated monastery, it was plundered and reduced to ashes 
 by Bratachus O’Boyle and MacMahon, A.D. 1207. John 
 was Prior in 1353.” 
 
 It would seem that this John was succeeded in the same 
 year by another Prior, named Paul; for, in the Palatinate 
 Library at Vienna, there is a MS. account of the visit of a 
 
LOUGH DERG. 
 
 95 
 
 noble Hungarian, by name George Chrissiphani. His 
 pilgrimage was made in the year 1353, and it was attested 
 by the certificates of Richard the Primate, Nicholas 
 MacCatsaid, or Cassidy, Bishop of Ologher; Paul, Prior of 
 the Purgatory, and John de Fronwick, Prior-General of 
 the Order of St. John of Jerusalem in Ireland. 
 
 The history of Lough Derg during the thirteenth, four¬ 
 teenth, and fifteenth centuries is to be found chiefly in the 
 accounts written of it by distinguished foreigners, who 
 braved the dangers of a journey, then so fraught with 
 peril, in order to pass through the penitential exercises 
 of this celebrated sanctuary. Besides the account of 
 St. Patrick’s Purgatory, founded on the legend of the 
 Knight, which legend was incorporated in that portion of 
 the history of Roger of Wendover, which, as Mr. Pinkerton 
 says, is erroneously ascribed to William of Paris, there 
 are several other manuscript accounts extant in different 
 libraries. One of them is to be found among the Bar- 
 berini MSS., and is called Purgatorium S. Patricii, 
 narrante Gilherto monacho Ludensi, 'post ahhate de 
 Basingiverech in Anglia, Another, in the same collec¬ 
 tion, is called Visio ejusdem fratris conversi in Anglia, 
 quam hah'ait circa annum 1196. Another MS. in the 
 Cottonian collection, is called Opusculum de quadam 
 visione terribili de suppliciis animarum post ohitum 
 corporis: facta Pdmundo, monacho de Eynesham, reg- 
 nante R. Ricardo. 
 
 The repute of St. Patrick’s Purgatory had gained a 
 widespread celebrity during the twelfth, thirteenth, and 
 fourteenth, centuries from the legends and accounts already 
 mentioned, and also from the writings during those cen¬ 
 turies of such celebrities as Giraldus Cambrensis, Froissart, 
 and Caesar of Heisterback. About fifty years after the 
 descent of the Knight Owen, Caesarius thus writes:—“If 
 
96 ST. Patrick’s purgatory. 
 
 any one doubt of Purgatory, let him go to Scotia and enter 
 the Purgatory of St. Patrick, and his doubts will be ex¬ 
 pelled.’’ No wonder, therefore, that despite the difficulties 
 of travelling in those remote times, so many distinguished 
 pilgrims braved the dangers of the journey, and came from 
 the distant countries of Europe to atone for their faults by 
 a course of religious penance at this terrestrial Purga¬ 
 tory. During the reign of Edward III.^ and the Vice¬ 
 royalty of Almaric St. Amand, in 1357, certificates are 
 found enrolled in the archives of England declaring that 
 Malatesta Ungaro, of Pimini, and Nicolo de Beccario, of 
 Ferrara, had performed pilgrimages to the famous Purga¬ 
 tory of St. Patrick, Lough Derg. Ungaro, lord of Bimini, 
 Fano, Pesano, and Fossombrone, was renowned in Italy 
 for his warlike enterprises, his knowledge and piety. 
 “Whereas,” wrote King Edward, “Malatesta Ungaro, of 
 Rimini, a nobleman and knight, hath presented himself 
 before us, and declared that, travelling from his own 
 country, he had, with many bodily toils, visited the Purga¬ 
 tory of St. Patrick, in our land of Ireland, and for the 
 space of a day and a night, as is the custom, remained 
 therein enclosed, and now earnestly beseeches us that, for 
 the confirmation of the truth thereof, we should grant him 
 our royal letters: We, therefore, considering the dangers 
 and perils of his pilgrimage, and although the assertion of 
 such a noble might on this suffice, yet we are further 
 certified thereof by letters of our trusty and beloved 
 Almaric de St. Amand, Knight, Justiciary of Ireland, and 
 from the Prior and Convent of the said Purgatory, and 
 others of great credit, as also by clear evidence, that the 
 said nobleman had duly and courageously performed his 
 pilgrimage; we have consequently thought worthy to give 
 
 * Vide Mr. Gilbert’s History of the Viceroys of Ireland, p. 212. 
 
LOUGH DERG. 
 
 97 
 
 favourably unto him our royal authority concerning the 
 same, to the end there may be no doubt made of the 
 premised; and that the truth may more clearly appear, we 
 have deemed proper to grant unto him these our letters, 
 under our royal seal.” 
 
 In the year 1365, the prior of Lough Derg received a 
 letter, asking him to give a kind reception to two distin¬ 
 guished foreign pilgrims, John Bonham and Guido Cessy. 
 The commendatory letter, written by Primate Milo Sweet- 
 man, is quoted by bishop Jones,* Ex Registro Milonis, as 
 found by him in the Archiepiscopal Library at Armagh. 
 This is a free translation of it, as given in the Ulster 
 Journal of Arclmology :— 
 
 “ Milo, by divine permission, Archbishop of Armagh, Primate 
 of Ireland, to the religious and prudent man, the Prior of 
 St. Patrick’s Purgatory in Lough Derg, in the diocese of 
 Clogher, and to all others the clergy and laity in the province 
 of Armagh, everlasting health in the Lord. John Bonham and 
 Guido Cessy, coming to us, have related, that they, for devo¬ 
 tion’s sake, have gone on pilgrimage and visited many holy 
 places; and that they are desirous, for the health of their souls, 
 to visit the place called the Purgatory of St. Patrick, our 
 patron, which is in the diocese of Clogher aforesaid. We do, 
 therefore, entreat and exhort in the Lord all and singular, by 
 whom these pilgrims may pass, to entertain and receive them 
 courteously \ and that of the goods which God hath bestowed 
 upon you, you may afford them charitable aid; nor permit, 
 inasmuch as in you lieth, any molestation or disturbance to be 
 given to them. By which means we doubt not but that you 
 shall be made partakers of their devout labours. Given at the 
 city of Down, the 15th day of March, in the year of our Lord 
 1365, and the fifth of our consecration.” 
 
 In 1396, during the reign of Richard II. and the Yice- 
 
 * See his work, Patricvm his Pui'gatory, 1647. 
 
 G 
 
98 
 
 ST. Patrick’s purgatory. 
 
 royalty of de Mortimer, ‘‘Ramon, Viscount de Perellos, 
 Senor de la Baronia de Seret, Knight of Rhodes, and 
 Chamberlain to King Richard’s father-in-law, Charles VI. 
 of France, waited on de Mortimer at Dublin. This noble¬ 
 man arrived with letters from the King of England for safe 
 conduct to visit the Purgatory of St. Patrick, with a 
 retinue of twenty men and thirty horses. Ramon had 
 been in the army of Charles V. of France; became Master 
 of the Horse to Juan of Arragon, where his estates lay, 
 and that king gave him command of three galleys which 
 he sent to aid Clement VII. After the death of Clement, 
 Ramon served Benedict VIII. until he determined, not¬ 
 withstanding the Papal dissuasion, to visit St. Patrick’s 
 Purgatory in Ireland, where he expected to learn intelli¬ 
 gence of the fate of the soul of his beloved King Juan. 
 He tells us that at Dublin he visited the Earl of March, 
 King Richard’s cousin, and Viceroy in Ireland, who, having 
 perused the royal letters, received him very honourably; 
 but endeavoured, with all his power, to dissuade him from 
 persevering in an undertaking which he declared to be of 
 the most perilous nature. As Ramon was not deterred by 
 these representations, the Viceroy despatched him to 
 Drogheda, with letters to John de Colton, who, having 
 distinguished himself in the service of England, had been 
 promoted from the Deanery of St. Patrick’s, at Dublin, to 
 the Archbishopric of Armagh. De Colton also endeavourd 
 to deter him from venturing into the territories of the 
 northern Irish, who had made serious inroads upon the 
 see-lands of the English Archbishop of Armagh. Ramon, 
 persevering in his resolution, passed safely, as a pilgrim, 
 into Donegal, where, with many others on the same 
 mission bound, he was, he records, loaded with gifts, and 
 escorted safely to his destination * by the native chiefs, 
 
 * Taken from Gilbert’s History oj'the Viceroys, pp. 275-276. 
 
LOUGH JJERG. 
 
 99 
 
 whose ancestors, according to their legends, had come to 
 Erin from his native land of Spain.”^ 
 
 John Garry and Francis Proty, priests of Lyons, and 
 John Burgess, also applied for leave to go to the Pur¬ 
 gatory “sanctified by the forty days’ fast and prayer of 
 St. Patrick.” 
 
 In the year 1409 Sir William Staunton descended to 
 the cave. He wrote an account of his pilgrimage, which 
 runs through several hundred pages. It is entitled, “ Here 
 begynneth ye revelacon, ye which William Staunton saw 
 in Patrick's Purgatorie, the Friday next after ye feast of 
 ye exaltation of the Crosse, 3rd of May, in the year of our 
 Lord MOCOCIX.” Another account of the pilgrimage 
 was written about this period by a Knight of Hungary. 
 It is named Proeinium Memoriale super visitatione 
 Domini Laurentii Ratholdi militis et haronis Hungarim 
 factum de Purgatorio S. Patricii in insula Hihernice. 
 Froissart relates that Sir W. Lysle and another Knight 
 had visited the cave when Bichard was King of England. 
 
 In the Bodleian Library is preserved a MS. called 
 Tractatus brevis, sed imperfectus de S. Patricii Pur¬ 
 gatorio. In the same place a MS. entitled Narratio 
 de poenis infernalihus, in which there is mention of 
 St. Patrick’s Purgatory. In the Library of Trinity College, 
 Dublin, there is a MS. styled Vita Sancti Patricii Epis- 
 copi et Gonfessoris; item de Purgatorio Hihernice. There 
 is also a MS. in the Vatican Library by Peter Lombard, 
 Primate of Ireland, which is designated Relatio de Purgcx- 
 torio Sancti Patricii in Hibernia. 
 
 * On his arrival at the island, the Prior demanded his reasons for 
 wishing to enter the Purgatory. He said to him:—“Perdifficilem 
 atque periculosam rem suscepisti, qnamque pauci tentarnnt nedum sunt 
 asseciiti. Fateor equidem facilem esse Purgatorii descensum, se'd revo- 
 care grad as, hoc opus, hie labor.” 
 
100 
 
 ST. Patrick’s purgatory. 
 
 Besides these there are many other manuscripts treating 
 of St. Patrick’s Purgatory, which are still extant in several 
 of the principal Libraries throughout Europe, which fact 
 of itself clearly shows how widespread was the fame of 
 this pilgrimage during the middle ages, and what a firm 
 hold it had taken on the religious sympathies of that 
 period. 
 
 In a work of the fifteenth century, written by Jacobus 
 de Yoragine,* and printed at Nuremberg in the year 1482, 
 under the title Legenda Aurea, is recorded an account of 
 a vision with which a certain pilgrim, naijaed Nicholas, was 
 favoured at St. Patrick’s Purgatory. So closely does this 
 narrative resemble that of Henry of Saltrey, that we might 
 almost suppose it to have been borrowed from that writer. 
 
 Of this narrative, written in Latin, I here insert the 
 English version, not because I attach much historical 
 importance to it, but principally as a specimen of the 
 religious tales of the period. 
 
 Jacobus de Voragine writes :— 
 
 “ A long time after the death of St. Patrick, a nobleman, 
 named Nicholas, who had been guilty of a great many sins, 
 being smote with contrition, wished to undertake a pilgrimage 
 to St. Patrick’s Purgatory. Having endured, as was the 
 custom, various acts of mortitication during the space of 
 fifteen days, he gained admittance within the enclosure, the 
 gate having been opened with a key, which was kept in the 
 
 * Jacobus de Voragine was a Dominican friar, and Archbishop of 
 Genoa in 1292. Before the revival of letters set in, his “Golden 
 Legend ” was the delight of our ancestors. No monaster}" wanted a 
 copy of it; it was to be found, besides, in many private Libraries, and 
 for a long time after the invention of printing, few books issued more 
 frequently from the press. It lost much of its repute in consequence 
 of the Lives of the Saints published about 1480 by Mombritius, also of 
 the Lives of the Saints published by Surius, a Carthusian monk.—See 
 Alban Butler’s “ Lives of the Saints,” Introduction. 
 
LOUGH DERG. 
 
 101 
 
 abbey. He then descended into the afore-named cave or 
 Purgatory, on the side of which he observed a doorway. 
 Entering by this he found an oratory, into which some monks, 
 clothed in white vesture and repeating the divine office, had 
 come, who forewarned Nicholas that he had many temptations 
 of the devil to encounter. 
 
 “When he inquired of them what help he should have 
 against the tempter, they replied, ‘ When you shall feel your¬ 
 self afflicted by punishments, immediately call out and say, 
 Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, have mercy on me, a 
 sinner.’ The monks referred to having retired, demons forth¬ 
 with appear, and at first flatter him with kind promises, saying 
 that they would protect him and bring him back in safety, if 
 only he would obey them. 
 
 “ But since he refused to obey them, immediately he hears 
 the roaring of different wild beasts, which made him imagine 
 that all the elements had clashed together, upon which he 
 exclaimed with breathless terror, ‘Jesus Christ, Son of the 
 living God, have mercy on me,’ etc., and forthwith this dread¬ 
 ful tumult ceased. 
 
 “ On being conveyed to another place, here also appeared to 
 him a number of demons, who said, ‘ Do you imagine that you 
 have escaped our hands? By no means. But now your 
 afflictions and tortures shall commence in real earnest.’ And 
 behold a great and devouring fire there appears, the demons 
 meanwhile saying, ‘ Unless you submit to us, we shall cast you 
 into this fire to burn,’ but as he refused, they seized him and 
 cast him into the fire. In the midst of his tortures, however, 
 he cried out, ‘Jesus,’ etc., and the fire at once became extin¬ 
 guished. 
 
 “ At length, having been conducted to another place, he sees 
 men burning alive, and scourged by demons with red-hot 
 lashes of iron, which cut to the very entrails. They cried out 
 with pain, ‘ spare us. Spare us,’ but the demons only scourged 
 them the more piteouslessly. Others he sees whose limbs 
 serpents were devouring, and whose entrails were being drawn 
 
102 
 
 ST. PATfllCKS PURGATOKY. 
 
 out by Rery books of iron; but as Nicholas would not yield to 
 their suggestions, he is cast into the same fire, and is tormented 
 by the same punishments until he cried out, ‘Jesus, have 
 mercy on me,’ etc., and immediately he is liberated from his 
 sufierings. Having been conducted thence to another place, 
 he sees large pools of boiling metal, in which some had one 
 foot, others two: some were standing knee-deep in those pools, 
 others up to the body, and others to the breast, neck and eyes. 
 Witnessing all their torments, he invoked the aid of God, and 
 passed safely onward to a wide pit, from which issued a 
 horrible smoke and a most intolerable stench. The demons 
 told him—‘ The place which you now behold is hell, in which 
 our master, Beelzebub, dwells, and into this abyss we shall 
 cast you if you do not yield to us, and after having been cast 
 into it, you cannot find any means of escape.’ But as he 
 spurned their threats, they seized him and cast him into the 
 pit, where he was filled with such vehement torture that he 
 had almost forgotten to call upon the name of God. After a 
 moment’s reflection, however, he expressed the name of Jesus 
 in his heart, as he was unable to utter it with his lips, and 
 immediately he escaped uninjured, and the whole host of the 
 demons, his tormentors, having been completely vanquished, 
 left him. 
 
 “Having been led to another place, he sees a bridge over 
 which it was necessary he should pass. The bridge was very 
 narrow, and smooth and slippery as ice. Beneath it flowed a 
 stream of sulphur and fire. Then recalling to mind the words 
 that delivered him from so many dangers, he approached it 
 with confidence, and placing one foot on the bridge, he says, 
 ‘Jesus, have mercy,’ etc. Then there arose a loud cry, which 
 so terrified him that he could hardly retain his foothold till he 
 repeated the same prayer, which he kept reciting at each step, 
 and thus did he cross the bridge in safety. 
 
 “Thence he reaches a most delightful meadow, where tlie 
 sweet odour of flowers charmed his senses. Here two fair 
 youths appear to him, and conduct him towards a most beauti- 
 
LOUGH DERG. 
 
 103 
 
 ful city, resplendent with gold and gems. From its gate 
 issued the sweetest fragrance, which at once relieved him from 
 the sickening sensation of the sufferings and foul stench he had 
 just escaped. They told him that this city was paradise, into 
 which Nicholas was most desirous to enter, till the youths 
 already referred to told him that he should first return to his 
 kindred, pass through the ways by which he had come, that 
 the devils could not injure him, but would fly away in terror 
 at his sight, that in thirty days after he should rest in peace, 
 and then enter that celestial abode as a perpetual citizen. 
 
 “Then Nicholas, having returned from the Purgatory, finds 
 himself among his friends, and after telling them all that 
 befel him, when thirty days had passed over he calmly rested 
 in the Lord.” 
 
 This legend, as also that related of the Knight Owen, in 
 the twelfth century, supplied the Spanish poet, Calderon, 
 who lived in the seventeenth century, with groundwork 
 for one of the most charming of his sacred dramas. It is 
 called Purgatorio de San Patricio. A metrical version of 
 it was written by the lamented Denis Florence M‘Carthy, 
 and published in the year 1847. It closely corresponds 
 in metre with Longfellow’s Song of Hiawatha. As the 
 concluding part of the Purgatorio of Calderon, where he 
 represents the pilgrim after passing through the different 
 stages of punishments, and arriving before the celestial 
 paradise, is singularly sweet and interesting, I shall give 
 it at some length:— 
 
 “ Ere I reached the gates they open’d. 
 
 And the Saints in long procession 
 Came to meet me, men and women. 
 
 Young and old, and youths and maidens. 
 
 All approached serene and happy. 
 
 Choirs of Seraphim and Angels, 
 
 Breathing heaven’s delicious music, 
 
 Sweetly sung divinest anthems. 
 
104 
 
 ST. Patrick’s purgatory. 
 
 After these at length approached me 
 The resplendent, the most glorious, 
 
 The great Patrick, the Apostle. 
 
 Much that dazzling sight rejoiced me, 
 For by it I was enabled 
 To fulfil my early promise, 
 
 In my lifetime to behold him. 
 
 He and all the rest embraced me, 
 Pleased at my extreme good fortune. 
 Bidding me farewell, he told me 
 That no living man could enter 
 That most glorious, happy city; 
 
 But that I to earth returning, 
 
 Should await God’s time and pleasure. 
 Back the proper way I wandered 
 Unobstructed by the demons, 
 
 And at length approached the entrance, 
 When you came to seek and see me. 
 Since 1 have escaped this danger. 
 
 Holy Fathers, all I covet 
 Is to live and die among you.” 
 
LOUGH DERG. 
 
 105 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 LOUGH DERG DURING THE FIFTEENTH CENTURY—REPUTED 
 TRAGIC OCCURRENCE THERE—THE DUTCH MONK—SUP¬ 
 PRESSION OF THE CAVE BY ORDER OF THE POPE. 
 
 LREADY have v/e seen how princes, knights, 
 and nobles from distant lands had braved 
 the perils of a pilgrimage to St. Patrick’s 
 Purgatory, then esteemed an adventure more 
 heroic than that of the battlefield. Quite a 
 fferent class of personage is presented to us 
 the letters of St. Catherine of Sienna.* 
 We there read how a Carthusian monk, Don Giovanni by 
 name, of the Certosa, Rome, desiring to leave his religious 
 enclosure in order to make a pilgrimage to St. Patrick’s 
 Purgatory, Lough Derg, and failing to receive his supe¬ 
 rior’s sanction, fell into great trouble of mind thereat. 
 St. Catherine, on being acquainted with the fact, wrote 
 him a letter, which is an admirable discourse on obedience 
 and patience, counselling him to submit his will in every¬ 
 thing to his superior, but especially in the matter which 
 she had heard from the Visitor:—“ My dear son,” she 
 concludes, “ bow down your head in holy obedience, and 
 remain in your cell embracing the tree of the most holy 
 Cross. Take care, as you value the life of your soul and 
 fear to displease Almighty God, that you do not follow 
 your own will.”t 
 
 * Vol. III., p. 201, published at Florence, 1860. 
 
 + See Essay on “ The Dittamondo” in Irii^h Monthly of 1884, p. 132. 
 
lOG 
 
 ST. PATRICK S PURGATORV. 
 
 A thrilling story is narrated in the Dublin Denny 
 Journal of June 25th, 1836, in reference to a tragedy, 
 stated to have occurred at Lough Derg towards the close 
 of the fourteenth century. We there learn how Count 
 Raymond, and another Knight, named Ugolino, had been 
 serving in the wars against the Moslems. Ugolino, having 
 been instrumental in saving Raymond’s life, was invited 
 at the close of the Crusade to accompany him to his 
 home. There, despite their disparity of rank and family, 
 a close intimacy sprung up between Ugolino and Ray¬ 
 mond’s sister, Madeleine. Raymond, on discovering that 
 they were pledged to marry, in an outburst of passion 
 plunged his dagger into his sister’s breast, thus puttting 
 her to death for the honour of his house. Thereupon 
 Ugolino vowed that he would never rest until that 
 same poignard had pierced her murderer’s breast. The 
 story (very graphically told in the Journal referred to, 
 and also, but more succinctly, in the ‘‘ Handbook of 
 South-Western Donegal” by the late Monsignor Stephens 
 of Killybegs), concludes by saying, that Raymond was 
 praying in a cell at St. Patrick’s Purgatory, when he was 
 confronted by the avenger of his sister’s death, Ugolino, 
 who relentlessly put him to death with the dagger bear¬ 
 ing the blood-stains of his murdered sister, Madeleine. 
 
 According to a popular tradition, not uncommon among 
 the Irish peasantry, wherever a murder or other tragic 
 event occurs, the spot is supposed to be haunted for long 
 after by the victim’s spirit or ghost. The tragic death of 
 Raymond gave rise, as might be expected, to a ghost 
 story* at Lough Derg. Local residents will tell how, till 
 
 * In a collection of poems by T. D. M‘Gee, and published by Mrs. 
 Sadlier, New York, 1869, there is an interesting legend of Lough 
 Derg, entitled the “ Penitence of Don Diego Riaz.” 
 
 The wanderings of this Knight to distant Peru are there described 
 
LOUGH DERG. 
 
 107 
 
 lately, a ghost, habited in the garb of a pilgrim of the 
 olden time, used to pace up and down the island during 
 the still hours of evening twilight. That a tragedy of 
 some kind took place here in the fifteenth century would 
 seem to be pretty clear, but who the perpetrator of it 
 was, and who the victim, is somewhat shrouded in 
 mystery. Doubtless it cast a gloom over Lough Derg; 
 and it would seem to be but the harbinger of a train of 
 evils which were to befall this sanctuary, and which were 
 to avenge the outraged majesty of God for the desecration 
 of His holy place. 
 
 Another difficulty of a serious nature also occurred to 
 disturb the even tenor of its way. Its gifts and revenues 
 had so increased, about the period at which we have 
 arrived, as to afford ground not merely for grave responsi¬ 
 bility in their administration, but also for considerable 
 jealousy as to their allocation. Daymond Maguire, an 
 Augustinian, was Prior of the Purgatory in the year 1455. 
 Donald, or Daniel McGrath, who was probably Ooarb of 
 the termon-lands, and Thomas M^Creanyre, or Treanor, 
 abbot of SS. Peter and Paul’s at Armagh, on the ground 
 that his monastery was the mother-house of the establish¬ 
 ment at Lough Derg, strove to prevent Raymond Maguire, 
 its Prior, from disposing of the proceeds from the Purga- 
 
 in verse, and his travels thence, accompanied by one attendant, to 
 obtain peace of sonl at St. Patrick’s shrine. Don Diego died on tlie 
 way ere he saw the Irish shore. His attendant plighted— 
 
 “ To journey to the ‘ Refuge of the Lake,’ 
 
 Before St. Patrick’s solitary shrine, 
 
 A nine days’ vigil for his rest to make. 
 
 Living on bitter bread and penitential wine.” 
 
 On his way to the island his dead master appeared to him, as the 
 legend says, and rowed the boat, in which he embarked, to the island, 
 on reaching which he vanished. 
 
108 
 
 ST. Patrick’s purgatory. 
 
 lory. Macquire appealed to the Metropolitan, and to 
 Rome, with the result that the community at Lough 
 Derg were confirmed in their title to the religious offer¬ 
 ings of the place, and the others were ordered, under pain 
 of excommunication, to give no further annoyance. 
 
 Under the year 1462, the Four Masters relate, that 
 the Prior of Devenish, i.e. Bartholomew, the son of 
 Hugh O’Flanagan, died at Lough Derg.” This was the 
 Prior, who repaired, or rebuilt the great abbey church of 
 Devenish, as appears from the inscribed stone, fully 
 described in that interesting handbook, Wakeman’s Guide 
 to Lough Erne. 
 
 While the fame of St. Patrick’s Purgatory had been the 
 theme of so many writers, an incident occurred towards 
 the end of the fifteenth century, which, for a time at least, 
 tended to mar its celebrity. A monk, from the monastery 
 of Eymstede, or Amsterdam, in Holland, hearing of the 
 fame of this western pilgrimage, and of the visions 
 vouchsafed to the pious votaries thereat, came to the 
 determination of going thither, resolved upon doing 
 greater penances than those he had hitherto exercised, 
 and also with the purpose of testing the accuracy of the 
 sensational stories related of it. Having arrived at the 
 lake, in the year 1494, the prior, before admitting him, 
 required that he should first obtain the bishop’s permis¬ 
 sion. The bishop in turn, when granting leave, directed 
 him to pay the usual fee for admission. Those fees were 
 devoted to a threefold purpose; a portion went to the 
 support of the religious community, who ministered to the 
 wants of the pilgrims; a moiety also was devoted to the 
 maintenance in proper repair of the churches and other 
 buildings on the island; and the remainder was expended 
 on the relief and support of such destitute persons as 
 sought the hospitality of the monks; for, in those days the 
 
LOUGH DERG. 
 
 109 
 
 poor received lodging, food and raiment in the monastic 
 houses. The Dutch monk was asked for an alms which he 
 considered somewhat large, as he was poor. This made 
 him querulous and censorious. Finally, having obtained 
 admittance, he spent one day in the cave. “ But ” (says 
 the author of the Bollandist MS. in which the story is 
 related) ‘‘he came out wondering greatly that he had 
 neither seen, heard, nor undergone any of the visions and 
 other experiences with which so many others were said to 
 have been privileged. The everyday routine of prayer 
 and penance was the only vision vouchsafed to him in this 
 earthly purgatory. Disappointed and chagrined he went 
 straightway to Borne and laid a prejudicial report of the 
 pilgrimage before the Sovereign Pontiff, Alexander VI. 
 He represented the exactions of the prior, prince and 
 bishop of the island—“ Omnes enimpecuniam petierunt” 
 He mentioned his own experiences of it, how he had not 
 been favoured with those glimpses of future punishment 
 and bliss, which were ascribed to it. His words added 
 force to prejudices already forming against it over the 
 Continent; and thus its temporary suppression had been 
 determined upon until such time as the abuses complained 
 of might be remedied. Cardinal Orsini, O.P., Archbishop 
 of Benevento, and afterwards raised to the Papal throne 
 under the name of Benedict XIII., in his Sermon* on 
 Purgatory, thus gives the narrative of the Dutch monk ;— 
 
 “It remains for me to answer the third question, viz., if at 
 the present time there exists such a Purgatory. In doing so it 
 
 * This Sermon is classed “ No. 30,” and is preserved in the Library 
 of San Clemente, Rome. The copy from which those extracts are taken 
 was made out and verified by the Very Rev. M. A. Costello, Rector 
 San Clemente, on the 20th February, 1887, for Rev. James O’Hanlon, 
 Stafford (to whom I am indebted for it), and translated for me by a 
 competent Italian scholar. 
 
110 
 
 ST. Patrick’s purgatory. 
 
 will suffice to relate what happened to a Canon Regular from 
 that part of Holland in which is the monastery Eymstudense, 
 during the pontificate of Alexander VI. in 1594. This man, 
 with the desire of greater perfection, repaired to Ireland, and 
 having heard great things concerning the Purgatory of St. Patrick, 
 with a lively faith and with the desire of satisfying divine jus¬ 
 tice, asked leave of the Prior of the monastery to descend into 
 the cave. He did go down; and the trembling Canon every 
 moment expected to see, hear, and perhaps also to sufiPer the 
 horrible things which had been mentioned of the place, but 
 after remaining an entire day and night without experiencing 
 the slightest suffering, he was taken out the following day. He 
 thus proved by experience that the story was all fiction on the 
 part of the custodians of the place, who had spread these reports 
 for the simple purpose of collecting alms from a too-credulous 
 people. Having gone to Rome he informed the Sovereign 
 Pontiff of all the circumstances; and he, the Pope, ordered the 
 Bishop of the diocese and the Prior of the monastery to have 
 the said cave closed up with earth and stones, in order that the 
 mistaken faith of those resorting thither should cease. This 
 was actually done, and an authentic document confirming the 
 fact was given to the same Supreme Pontiff.”* 
 
 * The same illustrious authority goes on to say ;—“ Thence you ought 
 to be able to infer that if God, through the merits of St. Patrick, and 
 during the Saint’s lifetime, performed the miracle of rendering visible 
 to the people what faith teaches us of the punishments and rewards 
 reserved for us in the next life, the miracle ceased after the conversion 
 of the people to the faith, since the motive for it had ceased, and there 
 only remained the site of the ancient and celebrated Purgatory of 
 Ireland as a testimony of the prodigy formerly performed. In fact you 
 should observe that the same thing happened to the cave of St. Patrick 
 which took place with regard to the brazen serpent of Moses, which 
 cured those bitten by the fiery serpents in the desert, Num. xxi. 9. It 
 remained afterwards in Israel in attestation of the divine mercy until a 
 time when some of the people abusing it, and having recourse to it 
 through wrong motives, it was taken down and destroyed by the holy 
 King Ezechias, 4 Reg. xviii. 4. From the example above recited of the 
 
LOUGH DEHG. 
 
 Ill 
 
 la the “Annals of the Four Masters” there is found no 
 allusion to the closing of the cave on Saints’ Island by 
 order of the Pope; mention is made of it, however, in 
 the “Annals of Ulster,” The reasons assigned by the 
 Bollandists and the “ Annals of Ulster ” for the suppres¬ 
 sion of the cave are quite different. The Bollandists say 
 it was ordered to be closed because it had become “an 
 occasion of shameful avarice.” It would appear as if they 
 grounded their opinion on the report of the monk of 
 Eymstede; and though this may have hastened the action 
 of Borne in the matter, we are nowhere told it was the 
 only cause to draw forth that decision. The reason for its 
 suppression, as set forth in the “ Annals of Ulster,” I hold 
 to be much more tenable, namely, “that it was not the 
 Purgatory ” (that is, the place or cave of purgation) 
 “ which the Lord had shown to St. Patrick.” On this 
 subject no better authority can be adduced than the 
 compiler of the “ Annals of Ulster,” the celebrated Cathal 
 Maguire; for he was not only deeply versed in his 
 country’s lore above all his contemporaries, but was also, 
 at the time of the edict in question, a high dignitary and 
 official of the diocese in which the Purgatory is situated; 
 and, over and above all this, he was appointed by the 
 Pope to assist in carrying out the Papal decree, and hence 
 we may reasonably presume that he was fully acquainted 
 with the causes which led to its fulmination. 
 
 penitential soldier who deelared that he saw apparitions of demons 
 jeering at the sufferings of the condemned souls, there arises a doubt 
 which our own St. Thomas solves in his Supplement 72, ‘ Utrum animcv, 
 in Purgatorio a dmmonihus torqueantur V And the holy Master answers 
 —^ Non torquentur per diEmonen qiwrimi victores extiterunt,’’ but from the 
 justice of God alone. It is quite possible ‘ quod eas ad loca poinarum 
 eomitentur^ to gratify themselves by the pains which the souls suffer 
 there.” 
 
112 
 
 ST. PATRICKS PURGATORY. 
 
 In the words of the “ Annals of Ulster ”— 
 
 “A.D. 1497. The cave of Patrick’s Purgatory in Lough Gerg, 
 was destroyed about the festival of St. Patrick this year, by 
 the Guardian of Donegal and by the representative of the 
 Bishop in the deanery of Lough Erne \i.e. Cathal Maguire], by 
 authority of the Pope, the people in general having understood 
 from the history of the Knight, and other old books, that this 
 was not the Purgatory which St. Patrick obtained from God, 
 though the people in general were visiting it.” 
 
 Now, as this Cathal or Charles Maguire was one of the 
 most illustrious sons of the diocese of Clogher, and one of 
 the most distinguished Irish ecclesiastics in any age, I will 
 be pardoned for here inserting his obit as recorded by 
 Roderick O’Cassidy in the “Annals of Ulster,” which 
 were brought by Maguire from a.d. 444 down to 1498, the 
 year of his death, and continued by O’Cassidy to the year 
 1541. O’Cassidy writes :— 
 
 “Anno Domini 1498. A great mournful news throughout 
 all Ireland this year, viz., the following—Cathal Oge MacManus 
 Maguire died this year. He was Canon Chorister at Armagh, 
 and in the bishopric of Clogher, and Dean of Lough Erne, and 
 Pastor of Enniskeen, in Lough Erne, and the representative of 
 a Bishop ” {Le. Vicar-General) “ for fifteen years before his death. 
 He was a precious stone, a bright gem, a luminous star, a 
 treasury of wisdom, and a fruitful branch of the Canon; and a 
 fountain of charity, meekness, and mildness; a dove in purity 
 of heart, and a turtle in chastity; the person to whom the 
 literati, and the poor, and the destitute paupers of Ireland were 
 most thankful; one who was full of grace and wisdom in every 
 science to the time of his death, in law, physic, and philosophy, 
 and in all the Gaelic sciences; and one who made, gathered, and 
 collected this book from many other books. He died of Galar 
 Breac." (the small-pox) “on the tenth of the Calends of April, 
 being Wednesday, Ixo. anno cetatis suce. And let every person, 
 
LOUGH DERG. 
 
 113 
 
 who shall read and profit by this book, give a blessing on the 
 soul of MacManus {ix. Cathal Maguire).” 
 
 The situs of the cave ordered by Pope Alexander VI. to 
 be closed is wrapped in much uncertainty. After devoting 
 much thought to the subject I submit, and not without 
 some diffidence, the following opinion :— 
 
 On the summit of Saints’ Island may be seen the bip or fort 
 which we have already referred to as the site of the original 
 coenobium of St. Dabheoc. Immediately adjoining it, on its 
 eastern side, is the cemetery, in the centre of which are the 
 ruins of the mortuary crypt,* where the remains of St. Dabheoc 
 and his successors were probably laid to rest. Following the 
 authority of Henry of Saltrey, who said that the purgatorial 
 cave was m coemeterio extra frontem ecdesice, .1 felt inclined to 
 regard this ruined oratory as the Caverna Purgatorii. On more 
 mature reflection I prefer the opinion of the Ordnance Survey 
 party, who were guided not only by the traditions of the 
 locality, but also by ancient maps and references. They have 
 set down upon their map the Church of the monastery on 
 Saints’ Island as “ the Purgatory.” To this day the inhabitants 
 of the district maintain that the ancient cave was situated on 
 the eastern side of Saints’ Island, where stood the Church f 
 of the medieval Monastery. Again, all the early accounts of 
 the place concur in saying that the Caverna Purgatorii was 
 strongly protected by a triple wall of enclosure, and watchfully 
 secured by lock and key—the key being always in the custody 
 of the Prior. Now, the buildings, marked “Purgatory” on the 
 
 * Its dimensions, so far as they can be traced, were between 18 and 
 20 feet in length, by about 12 feet in width. 
 
 t The Rev. Philip Skelton, whose account of St. Patrick’s Purgatory 
 was published in 1770, refers to this as a fact not called in question in 
 his time. He says :—“ In the largest of these, still called the Island of 
 Saints, are the ruins of a small well-built chapel, at which the penances 
 were some ages ago performed.” 
 
 H 
 
114 
 
 ST. Patrick’s purgatory. 
 
 Ordnance map, stood within this strongly guarded rampart, the 
 remains of which are yet distinctly visible. 
 
 It may well be asked—Why did the Augustinians substitute 
 their church for the original purgatorial cavel We can only 
 conjecture that motives of convenience influenced them in the 
 change, and this in face of the difficulty of crossing and re-cross¬ 
 ing the wide expanse of water separating Saints’ Island from the 
 Caverna on the lesser island, now called Station Island, then 
 known as the “Island of the Purgatory.” They substituted the 
 monastery church for the Purgatorium, or established a Caverna 
 hard-by, in which penances analogous to those authorised by 
 ancient usage at the original cave were performed. This will 
 supply at least a secondary reason why the Pope ordered the 
 Caverna on Saints’ Island to be closed, “ because,” to repeat the 
 words of the Annals of Ulster, “it was not the cave shown by 
 God to St. Patrick.” 
 
 That the purgatorial cave existed originally on Station Island, 
 same as at present, we regard as certain. In the first place the 
 saints’ cells or oratories on Station Island bear the clearest 
 marks of a remote antiquity. Again, the words of the Martyr- 
 ology of Donegal (edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves), p. 1, clearly 
 prove that the original cave was situated where the station 
 exercises are at present conducted, viz. on Station Island. It 
 says:—“ Dabheog of Loch Geirg in Ulster. At the eastern 
 extremity of that lake are St. Patrick’s Purgatory and Dabheog’s 
 Island; there is also a monastery in which there were Canons 
 at the western extremity of the same lake, and from him is 
 named Termon-Dabheog on both sides of the lake we have 
 mentioned.” Thence it is clear that the Purgatory was situated 
 in the eastern portion of Lough Derg, where lies Station Island. 
 The monastery of the Augustinian Canons stood, however, on 
 Saints’ Island, in the western division of the lake. Whilst 
 round the entire ambit of the lake extended the termon-lands 
 of the monastery. Further, we find, in the twelfth century, 
 Giraldus Cambrensis affirming that in his time the cave was on 
 the lesser island. Other writers of that period repeat the 
 
LOUGH DERG. 
 
 115 
 
 same statement. Peter Lombard, in the sixteenth century, 
 speaks of this island as the “ Insula Purgatorii.” Cardinal 
 Orsini gave it the name by which it was known in the Irish 
 vernacular, “ Oilean Phargadora S. Phadruig,” i.e. the Island of 
 St. Patrick’s Purgatory. 
 
 Here in its gloomy cave St. Patrick fortified himself by 
 rigid penance for the labours of his apostolate; hither 
 St. Dabheoc repaired from his monastery on the larger, or 
 Saints’ Island, to practise solitary contemplation and 
 mortification; and here so many early anchorets attained 
 to a high degree of perfection. 
 
 As to the practice among the early Irish anchorets of 
 dwelling in caves much might be written. Though pre¬ 
 valent in Ireland it was not peculiar to that country. 
 Feijoo tells us, that as regards the retirement of St. 
 Patrick into the cave in Ulster, and of so many fervent 
 souls in imitation of him, there are several other similar 
 examples in the Church. He instances the great St. 
 Benedict in the cave of Sublacum, St. Dominic in that of 
 Segovia, and St. Ignatius in that of Manresa.^ And he 
 adds:—“ Perhaps God had shown a signal favour to the 
 great St. Patrick, and to others who imitated him, by 
 representing to him in that cave a vision of the pains of 
 Purgatory, and of the joys of Paradise, and that, upon 
 this foundation, the report became noised abroad, that all 
 who enter the cave should share the same vision.” 
 
 In the decree of Pope Alexander VI., we can observe 
 the vigilant care with which the Church guards her holy 
 
 * A further instance in point is the cave of St. Bauine, near Mar¬ 
 seilles, where St. Mary Magdalene performed most austere penance. 
 In our own day the cave, or grotto of the apparition at Lourdes 
 furnishes a living example. The prototype for all being the cave or 
 grotto at Bethlehem, w'here our Divine Lord first entered upon His 
 mortal pilgrimage. 
 
116 
 
 ST. PATRICK’S PURGATORY. 
 
 places against even the least infringement of established 
 and authorised discipline. ‘‘ Holy Church,” says Balmez, 
 ‘^neither admits nor encourages, even by silence, any¬ 
 thing contrary to truth, virtue, or piety.” Hence, in the 
 case of Lough Derg, she did not hesitate to interrupt that 
 pilgrimage, until the irregularity, or infringement of dis¬ 
 cipline complained of, had been removed. The interval, 
 during which the pilgrimage was forbidden, was but of 
 short duration, and soon it entered on a new career, which 
 has since happily continued with manifold spiritual ad¬ 
 vantage to the Irish race. In the long ordeal of perse¬ 
 cution, to which the faithful Catholics of Ireland were 
 subjected, many of the institutions of religion were ruined 
 and laid desolate, while St. Patrick’s Purgatory, like 
 another ark of refuge, has always maintained its salutary 
 influence, and safely passed through the deluge of tribu¬ 
 lation to the more peaceful and tranquil days in which we 
 live. 
 
LOUGH DERG. 
 
 117 
 
 CHAPTER XT. 
 
 RE-OPENING OF THE PILGRIMAGE—THE ISLAND OF THE PUR¬ 
 GATORY, OR STATION ISLAND—ITS JURISDICTION IN WHOM 
 
 VESTED—THE COURSE OF PENANCE PERFORMED THERE 
 IN THE SIXTEENTH AND SEVENTEENTH CENTURIES. 
 
 OON after the Papal edict had been put in 
 force at Lough Derg, the people again 
 commenced to revisit it. It is even stated 
 that George Cromer, Archbishop of Armagh, 
 who succeeded to the Metropolitan Chair in 
 22, made a strong appeal to Rome in favour 
 its reopening, and that acting on his solici¬ 
 tation, the ruling Pontiff recalled the Bull of Alexander 
 VI., and issued another, granting indulgences to the 
 pilgrims, and certain privileges to the community in 
 charge of the pilgrimage. Messingham in his Flori- 
 legium states, that on the nature of its devotions being 
 explained to the Holy See, indulgences were attached to 
 this pilgrimage before the close of the sixteenth century. 
 
 So soon after the closing of the cave as 1504, we find 
 its Prior referred to in the following entry in the Annals 
 of the Four Masters :— 
 
 “ 1504. Turlough Maguire, who had been Canon Chorister 
 at Clogher, Pastor of Derryvallen, and Prior of Lough Derg, 
 fell down a stone staircase at the town of Athhoy, about the 
 festival of St. Patrick, and died of the fall, and he was buried 
 in the monastery of Cavan.” * 
 
 * In 1480 this monastery of Cavan was also chosen as his burial 
 place by his kinsman, Thomas Oge Maguire, an illustrious pilgrim. 
 
118 
 
 ST. Patrick’s purgatory. 
 
 The following entry taken from the same Annals will 
 go to show that the edict had not continued in force for 
 any great length of time; and that foreign pilgrims began 
 to frequent it again as of old :— 
 
 “ Anno 1516. A French knight came upon his pilgrimage to 
 St. Patrick’s Purgatory on Lough Gerg, and on his arrival, and 
 at his departure he visited O’Donnell, from whom he received 
 great honours, gifts, and presents; and they formed a great 
 intimacy and friendship with each other, and the knight, upon 
 hearing that the Castle of Sligo was defended against O’Donnell, 
 promised to send him a ship with great guns.” 
 
 One of the earliest notices of the Purgatory after its 
 demolition in 1497 is to be found in the Memoirs of Sir 
 James Melvil of Hall-Hill, who in his youth was sent by 
 the Queen Mother of Scotland to France, to be brought 
 up in the service of Mary, Queen of Scots. Melvil was in 
 the suite of Jean de Monluc, bishop of Sens and French 
 ambassador at the Scottish court, and as the latter had 
 negotiations to conduct in Ireland, both repaired thither 
 for that purpose. The ambassador’s business, as Melvil 
 tells us, was “ to learn particularly the notions and likeli¬ 
 hoods of the offers made by O’Neil, O’Donel, O’Docart, 
 and Callock, who were willing to shake off the yoke of 
 England and become subject to the King of France.” 
 The bishop and suite sailed from Dumbarton in January 
 1545, and arrived in Lough Foyle after a long and 
 tempestuous voyage on Shrove Tuesday, and on the 
 following day reached O’Doherty’s house, ‘a great dark 
 tower.’ ” Melvil, who does not appear to have visited 
 the Purgatory himself, tells us :— 
 
 “ Now the ambassador met in a secret place with O’Neill, and 
 his associates, and heard their offers and overtures. And the 
 Patriarch of Ireland did meet him there, who was a Scotsman 
 
LOUGH DERG. 
 
 119 
 
 born, named Wauchope, and was blind of both his eyes, and 
 yet had been divers times at Rome by post. He did great 
 honour to the ambassador, and conveyed him to see St. Patrick’s 
 Purgatory.” . 
 
 I shall here set forth in order extracts from works of the 
 sixteenth century, in which the writers describe the Island 
 of the Purgatory, or Station Island, and the purgatorial 
 cave therein situated. And first of all the learned Jesuit, 
 Father Campion, who writes thus in his History of 
 Ireland, published about 1570 :— 
 
 “ At the east end a door leadeth into a closet of stone, which 
 they call the Purgatory, because devout people have resorted 
 thither for penance, and reported at their return strange 
 visions of pain and bliss appearing unto them. They used to 
 continue therein four and twenty hours, which doing one 
 while with ghostly meditations, and another while with a 
 dreadful conscience of their deserts, they saw, as they say, a 
 plain resembling of their own faults and virtues, with the 
 honour and comfort thereto belonging, that one so terrible, the 
 other so joyous, that they vainly deem themselves for the 
 time to have sight of heaven and hell.” A little further on 
 he adds :—“ Since writing hereof, I met with a priest, who told 
 me that he had gone the same pilgrimage, and affirmed the 
 order of premises; but that he, for his own part, saw no sight 
 in the world, save only fearful dreams when he chanced to 
 nod, and those, he said, were exceedingly horrible; further, he 
 added, that the place seemed to him scarcely able to contain 
 six persons.” 
 
 Stanihurst writing in 1586 {Vita S. Patricii, Antwerp), 
 says that “ in the memory of man, the persons, who enter 
 this purgatory, are sensible of no terrors unless they should 
 happen to fall asleep. But,” he continues, “ in the first 
 establishing of religion (at which time miracles are gene¬ 
 rally most frequent) it seems very likely that many strange 
 
120 
 
 ST. PATinCK'S PURGATORY. 
 
 and terrible sights used to appear before the eyes of the 
 penitents.” 
 
 Messingham’s Florilegium, published in 1587, has it;— 
 
 “ Some are of opinion, that the cave, or pit, shown by 
 Christ our Lord to St. Patrick, is either unknown or invisible, 
 or, at least, is not that into which the pilgrims go, and are shut 
 up for twenty-four hours; but either lies hid underneath, or a 
 few paces from it. So according to ancient tradition have I 
 been informed by the Reverend John Gaffney, abbot of Leathra ; 
 and John M‘Kegan, a priest, a septuagenarian. Others consider 
 that the place is altogether unknown, and will not be seen by 
 man until the end of the world; like the sepulchre of Moses, 
 and the Ark of the Covenant among the ancient Hebrews 
 previous to their return from Babylon. And this last is the 
 opinion of Father Eugene Duffey, a Franciscan, and a man of 
 well-known piety, as I have been told by Torny Mulchonry, an 
 aged antiquary. Whether Duffey, Gaffney, Corny, Kegan and 
 others be correct in this relation, which, nevertheless, is not 
 the opinion most generally received, I shall say nothing at 
 present; but grave men consider that we ought not rashly to 
 abandon the common belief that prevails among so many, 
 namely, that the cave, covered in like a low vault, which is 
 seen in the Island of Lough Derg, is the true site of the pit 
 that we seek.” 
 
 Messingham says that in the memory of people living 
 even in his own time the cave had been filled up level 
 with the adjoining surface ; though at the first institution 
 of the place it was deeper, and, according to the tradition 
 • of old people, the filling up was performed under the 
 sanction of the bishop and of the Apostolic Chair. 
 
 The Most Rev. Peter Lombard, Archbishop of Armagh, 
 who wrote his Commentarius de Regno Hihernice in the 
 year 1600, about a hundred years after the edict of sup¬ 
 pression, says that in his time the guardianship of the 
 
LOUGH DERG. 
 
 121 
 
 Purgatory remained in the hands of the Augustinians, 
 but the pilgrimage was conducted on Station Island. 
 His words are:— 
 
 “ On the other island ” (Saints’ Island) “ is a convent of 
 St. Augustine, subject to the abbot and monastery of SS. Peter 
 and Paul, situated in the See of Armagh. Yet he, who on 
 1 his lake is chief of the monks, is honoured with the title of 
 Prior of the Purgatory. Two of these monks always reside in 
 turn on the ‘ Island of the Purgatory,’ to receive and instruct, 
 as spiritual fathers, those pilgrims who come there to expiate 
 their sins.” 
 
 And speaking of the Island of the Purgatory, the present 
 Station Island, l)r. Lombard writes :— 
 
 ‘‘ In it are situated the following holy places, which are thus 
 separate respectively from each other. In the first place, an 
 elegant church surrounded by a cemetery, in which church, 
 along with certain other relics of St. Patrick, is preserved in 
 the wall the stone on which the Saint used to repose his head 
 instead of a pillow. Secondly, a grotto a few paces to the 
 north of the church, which is variously termed the Cave of the 
 Purgatory, the Purgatory of St. Patrick, and even St. Patrick’s 
 Pit, which, though it is now almost on a level with the ground 
 in its vicinity, was formerly of very great depth; but in the 
 lapse of time and on diflferent occasions, as tradition has it, 
 both by the ordinance of successive bishops and with the* 
 approval of the Roman Pontififs, it has thus become gradually 
 raised to the surface of the earth about it. Its length, width, 
 and height are such as to admit of twelve, or at most fourteen 
 persons, arranged two and two in order, not standing erect, 
 but profoundly inclined. Its walls and roof are of stone. At 
 one side there is a small window, at which those bound to read 
 the canonical hours are placed; and at its extreme end lies a 
 stone, on which St. Patrick used to pray on bended knees, and 
 which still retains the impression of his knees. This stone 
 
122 
 
 ST. Patrick’s purgatory. 
 
 covers the mouth of that dread abyss, which is said to have been 
 formed at the prayers of the Saint. Thirdly, beyond this cave, 
 and facing the north, are seven cells or stations, in memory of 
 the more distinguished saints of Ireland, which cells are called 
 lecti jpcenosi. Fourthly, on the opposite side of the church, 
 towards the west, stand some inns or cottages for the accommo¬ 
 dation of the pilgrims.” Dr. Lombard then proceeds to describe 
 the penitential devotions of the pilgrimage, which substantially 
 correspond with accounts given by later writers, hereafter to be 
 noticed. His information regarding the place he received 
 from persons who made the pilgrimage a few years previously. 
 And he adds that the form of penance there observed was 
 practised by such numbers that the English Deputy could 
 neither prevent them, nor attempt to desecrate the place itself. 
 
 In this description, as given by Dr. Lombard, we have 
 a fair outline of Station Island as it was about three 
 hundred years ago. Allowing that the church of the 
 pilgrims stood where St. Mary’s Church now stands; 
 that the cave was situated near the present campanile 
 (and this is confirmed by the remains of a narrow build¬ 
 ing, corresponding with the dimensions of the cave, which 
 may be seen at either side of the campanile, and which 
 tradition points to as part of the cave), which would 
 certainly be ‘‘ a few paces to the north of the cburch 
 that the penal beds held the same position they now 
 occupy, “ beyond the cave and facing the north that 
 the inns or cottages stood where the presbytery, hospice, 
 and row of lodging houses now stand, “ on the opposite 
 side of the church, towards the westwe are thus 
 enabled to identify Dr. Lombard’s outline and references. 
 What perplexes us most in his description is his reference 
 to a cemetery, knowing as we do that the cemetery is 
 situated on Saints’ Island. Dr. Lombard, however, may 
 have borrowed his phraseology from the situation of the 
 
LOUGH DERG. 
 
 123 
 
 church and cave in former times on Saints’ Island, and to 
 have drawn, in this instance, on the language of Henry of 
 Saltrey, who describes the cave as being in ccemeterio 
 extra frontem ecclesia3. Besides, it is worthy of note, 
 that in opening the foundation of St. Mary’s new Church 
 in 1870, human bones, some of which I have seen on the 
 island, were discovered. Those remains, which were in a 
 remarkable state of preservation, would go to sustain the 
 statement made by Dr. Lombard that the church on 
 Station Island had in his time a cemetery attached to it. 
 I may add, that in Sir James Ware’s Antiquities of 
 Ireland^ there is a map on which this cemetery is 
 marked. And in other maps of the island taken in the 
 seventeenth century I have noticed a similar reference to 
 a cemetery. 
 
 The topography of the Island of the Purgatory during 
 the early part of the seventeenth century is also pretty 
 accurately given in Sir James Ware’s Antiquities of 
 Ireland (London, 1654), where we find a description of 
 it, together with a map of the island on which the 
 pilgrimage was then conducted. The island marked in 
 Ware’s map must be Station Island, for he describes its 
 extent as three-quarters of an acre, whereas Saints’ 
 Island is fully twelve times as large. The island so re¬ 
 presented is somewhat circular in form, whilst we know 
 that at present it is an oblong strip of rock ; but the 
 change in its form may be accounted for by the action of 
 the waves, making indentations and gradually wearing 
 away the rock on its eastern and western sides. Ware 
 thus describes the island, the church, the cave, and the 
 circles, or beds”:— 
 
 “ It is to be noted that the circles, commonly called ‘ beds,’ 
 enclosed with stone walls scarce three feet high, were the places 
 where the pilgrims performed their penance. As to the- cave 
 
124 
 
 ST. PATRICK’S PURGATORY. 
 
 itself, it was built of freestone, and covered with broad flags, 
 and green turf laid over them. The door being shut, there is 
 no light but what enters at a little window in the corner. It is 
 in length, within the walls, sixteen feet and a half, and in 
 breadth two feet one inch. And as the cave itself is small, so 
 likewise is the island, which is scarce three-quarters of an Irish 
 acre. The church of the island was heretofore called Regies* 
 whether so from the relics there preserved, or because inhabited 
 by Regular Canons, let others inquire.” 
 
 On Sir James Ware’s map are marked the Regies, or 
 Church—a cruciform building, the exact model, and on 
 the site, of the old St. Mary’s Church ; St. Patrick’s Cross, 
 a little to the north of it, about twenty-five paces south of 
 its present site ; the Caverna, near it to the left, where the 
 present campanile stands ; circulus vel lectus S. Brigidce^ 
 lectus S. CatJierince, S. Golumhoe, S. Brendani, lectulus 
 S. Ahogi et Molasri et Sti. Patricii ; and there are also 
 seven little booths, or lodging-houses represented round 
 the margin of the island. 
 
 It would appear that the place of pilgrimage on Lough 
 Derg, although territorial!}^ surrounded by the parish of 
 Templecarne, formed in itself a distinct and separate juris¬ 
 diction from a very remote period. Originally, indeed, 
 the community at Lough Derg may have ministered to 
 the spiritual wants of the district known as Termon 
 MacGrath; but in the thirteenth or fourteenth century, a 
 parish church was erected at Templecarne, and a pastor, it 
 may be supposed, was placed in charge of the benefice, 
 thus leaving the monks undivided charge of the monastery 
 and of the pilgrimage. That this conjecture is well 
 
 * According to Petrie, Regies means an abbey chnrch, TeampuU 
 means any church, whether belonging to secular or regular clergy. A 
 xjhurch erected by St. Columbkille at Derry was known as the duibh- 
 Regies^ 
 
Ltvhlf tfj <7r 
 hu J'OriiiiJu^^ 
 
 c.:«-nu fty^_ i'TZ'S"''"" 
 
 ■J Kaiharvm. 
 
 Cii\iilus ('0>/un^‘ 
 
 XS.r’^^Ctrtilhji 
 S- 'Bcin<l‘’tii 
 
 r J,eclnj t'elCii'Ctiltu 
 
 XilCllS 
 
 Xccfiw i>cl CTrcitf 
 
 S PA.TIUC1I 
 
 Defcriptio 
 
 Ware’s Map of Station Island, Lough Derg, 1705. 
 
LOUGH DERG. 
 
 125 
 
 founded would appear from the fact, that in 1504 Turlough 
 Maguire, who was Prior of Lough Derg, was then pastor 
 of Derryvallen, which clearly suggests that the priorate 
 of Lough Derg and the pastorate of Templecarne, or 
 Termon MacGrath, were two distinct offices and jurisdic¬ 
 tions. Again, it is stated in the Memoir of Most Rev. 
 Peter Lombard, by Cardinal Moran, that Hugh O’Neil, • 
 Earl of Tyrone, claimed and obtained from the Holy 
 Father, in the year 1609, the restoration of the right of 
 appointment to certain benefices, in the list of which 
 Termon MacGrath is included. It is more than unlikely, 
 however, that the right of nominating the Prior of Lough 
 Derg was included in that concession ; whence it would 
 follow that Lough Derg was then as now a separate juris¬ 
 diction. Nor can I find any record in ancient or modern 
 times of any pastor of Templecarne having been Prior of 
 Lough Derg, or of having exercised any parochial juris¬ 
 diction there ; or of anyone having exercised spiritual 
 jurisdiction there, except under the sanction and delega¬ 
 tion of the bishop of the diocese.^ The Augustinian 
 Canons conducted the pilgrimage till their expulsion in 
 1632. Next, Franciscan Friars had charge of it till 
 towards the close of the last century, when the Bishop of 
 Clogher (in which diocese Lough Derg lies,) appointed 
 one of the secular priests of his diocese to officiate as 
 prior. Since that time a prior and assistant confessors for 
 the pilgrims are annually appointed by the bishop of the 
 
 * The only exception I can find of a parish priest of Templecarne 
 having been also Prior of Lough Derg, is that given by the Rev. Mr. 
 Hewson, who visited the island in the beginning of August, 1701. He 
 states :—“ On the ninth day (about two in the morning), the titular 
 priest of the parish (whom they call prior) puts them into the caves, 
 one of which holds thirty, another sixteen, and another fourteen 
 persons, the men and women separately.” 
 
126 
 
 ST. PATRICKS PURGATORY. 
 
 diocese. And it is but just to add, that, under the 
 paternal care of the bishop and clergy of Clogher, Lough 
 Derg has flourished as a pilgrimage, maintained its hold 
 on the affections of the faithful, braved triumphantly 
 many obstacles and enemies, and, after centuries of per¬ 
 secution, still continues to be the proudest heritage of 
 Ireland’s faith and piety. 
 
 That Lough Derg was visited by great numbers of 
 pilgrims during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, 
 is put beyond doubt by the testimony of the Bollandists 
 (March 17, p. 590), who say that in the sixteenth century 
 it was visited by 1,500 pilgrims at the same time; and 
 Archbishop Fleming, of Dublin, tells us that in 1625 
 many had to return without finding room to land on the 
 island. I here insert the account of this pilgrimage, 
 written by Dr. Fleming to the Internuncio at Brussels, on 
 the 20th of August, 1625, from which we may infer what 
 the course of penance at this pilgrimage then was :— 
 
 “The pious and innumerable pilgrimages of the faithful this 
 year are a pledge of great fervour; for, like bees to the beehive, 
 there daily flock such numbers from every corner of the king¬ 
 dom, for penitential purposes, to a certain island, which is 
 called the Purgatory of St. Patrick, and which is situated in 
 the centre of a lake, that many have been obliged to return 
 without satisfying their pious desire, there being no room for 
 landing on the island. This pilgrimage, though, through the 
 bitter persecutions of heresy, it has been almost abandoned for 
 many years, was once so celebrated throughout the Christian 
 world, that many from most distant parts even of the Continent 
 visited it in a spirit of devotion. The manner of performing 
 the pilgrimage, as it is now observed from ancient tradition, is 
 as follows:—Each person, from the day he arrives on the island 
 till the tenth following day, never departs from it. All this 
 time is, without intermission, devoted to fasting, watching, and 
 
LOUGH DERG. 
 
 127 
 
 prayer. If they wish to give rest to their body they must sleep 
 on the bare ground, and for the most part under the broad 
 canopy of heaven. They receive but one refection, and that 
 consists of bread and water. It is incredible what severe 
 austerities and bodily mortifications females, as well as men, 
 and persons of every age and condition, endure whilst they 
 perform this penitential course. During twenty-four hours 
 they are shut up in certain caves, like unto prisons, where they 
 pass the whole day and night, entirely absorbed in prayer, and 
 receiving nothing to eat or to drink. 
 
 “ I have thought it well to mention this fact, for I am sure 
 your Excellency will be rejoiced to see that the natives of this 
 island, by this so great and so unparalleled an impetus of devo¬ 
 tion, seek to appease the anger of God; and we may confidently 
 hope that by their fervour He will be appeased, Who listens to 
 the prayers of those who have recourse to Him in their afflic¬ 
 tions.” 
 
 The contemporary writer, Messingham (p. 95), describes 
 the course of penance, as then performed on Lough Derg, 
 more in detail:— 
 
 “ During the nine days of the pilgrimage,” he says, a rigor¬ 
 ous fast was observed on oaten bread and the water of the lake. 
 The pilgrim was first conducted barefoot to the Church of St. 
 Patrick, around which he moved on his knees, seven times 
 inside and seven times outside, repeating all the while stated 
 prayers of the Church. He was then conducted to seven 
 places, or stations, known as lecti panosi, which were formerly 
 small churches, or sanctuaries, dedicated to various saints; and 
 at each of these he repeated the visit as above. The next 
 station was around a cross in the cemetery, and subsequently at 
 another cross that was fixed in a mound of stones. Thence he 
 proceeded, over a rough and rocky path, to a spot on the border 
 of the lake, to which tradition pointed as the place on which 
 St. Patrick had knelt in prayer. Here also certain prayers were 
 appointed to be recited. All this pilgrimage and prayer was 
 
128 
 
 ST. Patrick’s purgatory. 
 
 repeated three times each day—morning, noon, and evening— 
 during the first seven days; on the eighth day it was repeated 
 six times ; confession and communion followed on the morning 
 of the ninth day; and then the pilgrims entered the cave, 
 where twenty-four hours were devoted to fasting and medita¬ 
 tion. Any that chose not to enter the cave passed these 
 twenty-four hours in solitude at one of the former stations.” 
 
 Carve states that, besides their fasting, watching, and 
 other bodily austerities, the pilgrims offered prayers to 
 God for the general welfare of the Church, and for the 
 preservation of true peace and concord amongst all Chris¬ 
 tians. 
 
 But the darkest day in the history of Lough Derg is 
 drawing near, when the Calvinists, under Government 
 orders, desecrated and demolished this sanctuary, on 
 which Primate Lombard bestowed the distinguished title 
 of being ‘‘ the most celebrated and holy place in Ireland 
 when the apostate English determined to destroy that 
 shrine of religion, where their forefathers in the Ages of 
 Faith had done penance, where King Alfred of Northum¬ 
 bria had prayed to St. Patrick before his return to 
 England from the schools of Mayo and Lisgoole, and 
 where Harold, afterwards King of England (not to speak 
 of many other princes and nobles of that country, who 
 had done likewise), made pilgrimage, about the year 1050, 
 to the ‘‘miraculous cave of St. Patrick.” Of the doom 
 which awaited Lough Derg at the hands of the Calvinists, 
 let the following chapter bear evidence. 
 
LOUGH DERG. 
 
 129 
 
 CHAPTER XIL 
 
 THE MAGRATHS OF TERMON-MAGRATH—ANIMOSITY OF THE 
 ENGLISH GOVERNMENT AGAINST THE PILGRIMAGE—THE 
 AUGUSTINIAN CANONS EXPELLED—RUINS ON SAINTS’ ISLAND 
 AND DESCRIPTIVE PARTICULARS OF THE SAME. 
 
 jE have seen in the previous chapter how 
 pilgi’iiRS in vast numbers had flocked to 
 St. Patrick’s Purgatory during the six- 
 n teenth and seventeenth centuries. During 
 the reign of Queen Elizabeth so great was 
 the concourse of pilgrims that the place became 
 an object of jealousy to the Government; but 
 it was not until a later reign that the impious behests of 
 its enemies were put into operation. 
 
 For a considerable period anterior to the time at which 
 we have arrived, the Magraths of Termon-Dabheoc were 
 the hereditary termoners, or Erenachs of the lands assigned 
 by pious ancestors as the patrimony of this island hermi¬ 
 tage. From them the district derived the name of 
 Termon-Magrath, which by this time had superseded its 
 former designation. Their family residence was a strong 
 keep or castle, known as the castle of Termon-Magrath, 
 the ruins of which form a striking feature near the shore¬ 
 
 line of Lough Erne, about a mile from the village of 
 Pettigo, and some distance to the left of the line of 
 railway as you proceed from Pettigo to Bundoran. At 
 this castle the county of Donegal abuts upon Lough Erne 
 for the very limited distance intervening between the 
 
 I 
 
130 
 
 ST. Patrick’s purgatory. 
 
 Termon River and Waterfoot. Here the soil is fertile ; 
 and what with wooded shores, extensive stretch of the 
 lake, with Boa Island in the offing like an immense 
 breakwater, and the Fermanagh and Leitrim mountains 
 in the background, the visitor to this fascinating scene 
 will not easily forget its undoubted charms. 
 
 The tradition still survives that this castle was erected 
 by the famous Miler Magrath, eldest son of Donogh,* 
 otherwise Gillamagna Magrath, of Termon-Magrath, of 
 which territory his predecessors had been hereditary 
 guardians. If built by Miler, it must have been before his 
 apostasy, which took place at Drogheda on the 81st May, 
 1567. During the space of four or five months only did 
 he enjoy the temporalities of the See of Clogher as its first 
 Protestant bishop f prior to his appointment to the See 
 of Cashel. 
 
 From an Inquisition taken at Donegal on 26th Novem- 
 
 * In the 38th year of the reign of Queen Elizabeth, a.d. 1596, 
 Donogh Magrath, chieftain of Termon-Magrath, and Mileriiis, his eldest 
 son, surrendered to the Queen the lands of Termon-Magrath and 
 Termonamongan, for the purpose of reducing the lands to English 
 tenure, and with intent that they should be regranted to Donogh for 
 life, with remainder to Milerius for life, with remainder to his several 
 sons ; and in the same year the said lands were so granted. 
 
 In 1610, 22nd December, the site, etc., of the late Priory, Monastery 
 or Friary of Canons of Lough Derg, with the lands of Termon-Magrath 
 and Termonamongan, were granted in fee to James Magrath, son of Arch¬ 
 bishop Myler, subject to a chief rent of £10. This grant is to be found 
 in the Patent Rolls of James I., p. 187, and is copied into Hill’s 
 “ Plantation of Ulster.” The name of James Magrath occurs in most 
 of the State documents of that period relating to Lough Derg. 
 
 + That this unhappy man retracted his errors and died reconciled 
 to the Catholic Church is shown by the Rev. M. J. Brenan in his 
 Ecdedastical History of Ireland, p. 409. During his ill-fated career 
 temporal favours and emoluments were lavished upon him in return for 
 his apostasy. 
 
LOUGH DERG. 
 
 131 
 
 ber, 1603, in the first year of the reign of James I., and 
 copied by O’Donovan into his Donegal Letters, it would 
 appear that the Augustinians were driven from Lough 
 Derg, and their church and monastery pulled down even 
 before the year 1632. The document in question runs 
 thus:— 
 
 “ In the parts of Ulster, near the territory called O’Donnell’s 
 countrie, are the walls and monuments of a certain monastery, 
 or priory, late house of the Canonical Friars, called the Priory 
 of Lochdarge, alias commonly called St. Patrick’s Purgatory, 
 which priory now is very much on the decay, and has these 
 many years past been totally abandoned and dissolved. The 
 aforesaid priory lies and is situate in a certain small island in 
 the middle of a lake, called Lochdarge, about fifteen miles from 
 the village of Donnagall aforesaid. The prior of the monastery 
 aforesaid, at the time of the dissolution and abandoning 
 aforesaid, was seized as of fee, in right of the priory aforesaid, 
 of the site, circuit, ambit, and precinct of the said late house, 
 with the appurtenances, in which are an old church very ruin¬ 
 ous, and walls of stone lately levelled, with small piece of land 
 circumjacent, containing one and a half acres of land; and of 
 the whole island aforesaid, containing about ten acres; and of 
 certain lands and hereditaments to the said house and island 
 adjacent, called Termon-Magrath and Termon-M'Monghan, 
 containing four quarters of the great measure.” 
 
 That the absence of the Augustinians was but tem¬ 
 porary, and consequent upon the persecution setting in 
 against this stronghold of Catholic piety, we may infer 
 from the testimony of Dr. Lombard, already quoted, as 
 also from the report of Sir William Stewart, who found 
 there, in 1632, an abbot and forty friars. From the fore¬ 
 going document we can easily understand how the English 
 garrison in Ireland, well aware of the King’s hostility to 
 the Catholic religion, testified their zeal for the work, of 
 
132 
 
 ST. Patrick’s purgatory. 
 
 the Keformation by speedily visiting with destruction 
 this religious institution. 
 
 We have already seen how the poets and romance- 
 writers of the middle ages surrounded the narrative of 
 St. Patrick’s Purgatory with imaginative and legendary 
 embellishments, which constituted much of the sensational 
 literature of that period. In those legends the readers 
 were conducted in imagination, not only to the regions of 
 purgatory, but in turn, likewise, to the infernal abyss and 
 to the abode of the blessed. At the outbreak of the 
 Keformation Protestant writers seized with avidity upon 
 those legends, as if they were matters of faith,^ and 
 turned them into ridicule against the practices of the 
 Catholic Church. They even went so far as to assert, 
 that Catholics believed there was a passage from this 
 island to the realms of purgatory. In this way did the 
 coming storm gather in intensity, until it burst in full 
 force upon the island, scattering the monks, demolishing 
 its religious edifices, and reducing the place to utter ruin. 
 Early in the reign of James I., its churches and oratories 
 were pulled down. But, despite those efforts to put a stop 
 to the pilgrimage, the faithful still flocked to it in great 
 numbers, which so enraged the minions of the Government, 
 that the Lords Justices then governing Ireland, with the 
 
 * Regarding the medieval tales related of St. Patrick’s Purgatory, 
 and so eagerly seized upon by Protestant writers to justify their attack 
 upon this venerable retreat, the following extract from Frederic 
 Ozanam’s Des Sources Poetiques de la Divine Comedie, must prove 
 interesting:—Referring to the perspicacity and erudition of Mr. 
 Wright’s work on St. Patrick’s Purgatory, he adds ;—“But why should 
 we import the bitterness of Protestant controversy, and of English 
 hatred against Ireland, into the study of a harmless tradition, which 
 was never other than a poetical tale, which never entered into the 
 domain of the theological dogmas of the Church, and which the Pope 
 would not permit to be inserted in the Roman Breviary ?” 
 
LOUGH DERG. 
 
 183 
 
 advice of the Privy Council, issued an order in May, 
 1682,* to Lord Balfour, Sir William Stewart and others, 
 requiring them to seize the Purgatory of St. Patrick for 
 his Majesty’s use, and to make fast the doors and entrances 
 of the same, so as to do away with the continuance of the 
 pilgrimage; and the following reply to that order was 
 sent by Sir William Stewart on 8th of June, 1632 :— 
 
 “ To the Bight Honorable Adam Lord Viscount of Ely, 
 Lord Chancellor, and Bichard Earl of Corke, Lords Justices of 
 this kingdom, and to the Lords and others of his Majestie’s 
 Honorable Privie Councell. 
 
 “ Bight Honorable, 
 
 “T have received the copy of a letter sent by my Lord 
 Balfoure, directed to his Lordship, myselfe and others, for 
 seizing unto his Majesty’s use St. Patrick’s Purgatory, and his 
 Lordship appointed me to meete him near the Lough the fifth 
 day of this month, whither I accordingly came, and staid in 
 the comfortlesse place almost two dayes and one night, none 
 coming. And then I got intelligence that the abbots, priests, 
 and fryars, which were in the island, had gotten knowledge of 
 your Lordship’s directions; whereupon in the night time they 
 stole out of the island in a boat, which at the least would carry 
 forty persons. Whereupon I sent to search for the said boat, 
 which was found and brought unto me. And perceiving that 
 none of the rest mentioned in your Lordship’s letters were 
 likely to come, I being confident that you would take it in 
 good part, that I should rather upon such occasion vary from 
 your direction than leave your intentions unperformed, I 
 caused to land some men upon a little island, where Fryars doe 
 inhabit, near unto the other island, which is called St. Patrick’s 
 
 * The author of the Monasticon Hihernicum states that it was in the 
 year 1630 the Government of Ireland decided on having it finally 
 suppressed, and he adds —“ It was accordingly dug up, to the no small 
 distress and loss of the Roman Catholic clergy.” 
 
134 
 
 ST. PATRICK’S PURGATORY. 
 
 Purgatory, where I found foure hundred and seventy-one 
 persons doing such fooleries (sic) as is not to be imagined could 
 be done among Christians, a taste whereof your Lordship may 
 perceive by this inclosed description. All the aforesaid num¬ 
 ber of persons I have caused to be put safe to shore, which 
 was done without any kind of violence. For, seeing the 
 Priests and Fryars had left the island, and carried with them 
 all manner of provisions and goods that therein was, the people 
 were willing and desirous to be drawn on shore. The which 
 being done, I did cause the Boate, which was the safeguard of 
 the Island, to be drawne on shore, and delivered the same unto 
 the friends and servants of one Master Magrath, unto whom 
 the Boate, Island and Countrie doe belong, and told him that 
 it was your Lordship’s directions that the same should not be 
 meddled withal), nor the Island any more frequented until his 
 Majestie’s pleasure were fully knowne, and that your Lord- 
 ship would signify the same at large. All things being thus 
 fairly done, I hope your Lordship will not dislike that I ad¬ 
 ventured myself alone to do that which was trusted unto me 
 and others. And I am well assured that if I had slipt that 
 occasion, your intentions should not have been executed. So 
 humbly desiring to be excused for what is done amisse, I take 
 leave and will ever remaine 
 
 Your Lordship’s ready and humble servant, 
 
 William Stewart.” 
 
 A vivid tradition still survives, gleaned from some of 
 the old residents at Lough Derg, and which they in turn 
 received from their predecessors, in which the expulsion 
 of the Augustinian monks is thus circumstantially told. 
 The very day before the Government orders were carried 
 out at Lough Derg, a messenger came from Donegal to 
 forewarn the monks of their impending fate. He com¬ 
 municated to them what he overheard among the military 
 at Donegal, and besought them to escape in time, and 
 thus save themselves from their enemies. The monks^ 
 
LOUGH DERG. 
 
 135 
 
 however, determined to remain at their post, and calmly 
 to await the consequences. In the meantime, familiar as 
 they now were with such hostile visitations, they made 
 ready for the worst, having first secreted in a safe hiding- 
 place in the ground the more cumbrous articles of value, 
 reserving for removal only such articles as they might 
 bring with them without attracting the notice of the 
 greedy soldiery. At length, after a night of sorrow and 
 suspense, the morning of their expulsion dawned ; and as 
 the day advanced, a company of cavalry from Donegal 
 was descried proceeding over the mountains, and ad¬ 
 vancing quickly towards the lake. In the most summary 
 way they ordered the venerable abbot and his com¬ 
 munity, which consisted of forty monks—“ all fine, able 
 men” (as my informant interposed), to take their de¬ 
 parture. A detachment of soldiers was directed to escort 
 the monks as far as Portcreevy Bay, to make sure of their 
 departure, and to prevent them from being eye-witnesses 
 of the ruthless destruction about to befal their consecrated 
 abode. The afflicted monks, having taken their last fare¬ 
 well of Lough Derg, proceeded, we may suppose, to 
 Devenish, Lisgoole, and Clones, where flourished houses 
 of their order, and where stood guest-houses or hospices, 
 which for centuries were largely occupied by Lough Derg 
 pilgrims. 
 
 As the “Abuse of Pilgrimage” (to use the phrase of 
 the persecuting Government of that time,) still continued 
 to flourish, the Lords Justices issued more stringent orders, 
 on the 13th September of the same year, to have it com¬ 
 pletely destroyed:— 
 
 “By the Lords Justices and Councell. 
 
 * “ Adam Loftus Cane. R. Corke. 
 
 “Forasmuch as the frequent and publick resort of people in 
 
136 
 
 ST. PaTKICK’S PURGAIORY. 
 
 great numbers to that place or island called St. Patrick’s 
 Purgatory, there performing superstitious ceremonies, pil¬ 
 grimages and offerings, is so extremely abusive and supersti¬ 
 tious as is not fit to be endured, We therefore taking the 
 same into our due consideration and foreseeing that albeit 
 there may be a seeming cessation there for a time from those 
 abuses and superstitions, in regard they observe the State to 
 resent the same: Yet many times the seduced people will 
 secretly finde opportunitie to resort thither, and so by stealth 
 continue those superstitious abuses, while the place standeth as 
 it now doth. We have therefore adjudged the best and fittest 
 means to prevent and wholly take away the continuance of 
 that abuse hereafter, that the place be defaced and utterly 
 demolished. And, therefore, we doe hereby order and resolve 
 that letters shall be despatched from this Board unto the 
 Rev. Father in God, the Lord Bishop of Clogher, Sir John 
 Dunbarre, High Sheriffe of the Countie of Fermanagh, Edward 
 Tarleton, Esq., High Sheriffe of the Co. Donegal, Edward 
 Archdale and Leonard Blennerhasset, Esqrs., Archibald Ares- 
 kon, Clearke, or any three or more of them, whereof the said 
 Lord Bishop, or Sir John Dunbarre or Edward Tarleton, to be 
 always one. Requiring and authorizing them or any three or 
 more of them as aforesaid, by or before the 3rd day of 
 December next, to cause the chappell and all the Irish houses 
 now scituate in that island, which is called St. Patrick’s 
 Purgatory, all the buildings, pavements, walls, works, founda¬ 
 tions, circles, caves, cels, and vaults thereof, of lime or stone or 
 otherwise to be broken down, defaced and utterly abolished. 
 And that also called St. Patrick’s Bed, as also that rocke or 
 stone standing in the water there having a cleft in it, which 
 (as is vainly said) St. Patricke made kneeling at his prayers; 
 and also that stone covered there with water which hath the 
 print of a man’s foot, and which (as the seduced people do 
 believe) St. Patricke made with standing thereon; and likewise 
 all other things there whereunto those superstitious people have 
 used to go in pilgrimage. And that they cause all the stones 
 
LOUGH DERG. 
 
 137 
 
 to be thrown into the Lough or water wherein the island 
 standeth, saveth only such of the stones of the said chappelle 
 as James Magrath, Esquier, the proprietor of the land, will 
 forthwith carry cleare out of the island, and make use of in 
 some other place. We do also order that the said James 
 Magrath shall forthwith enter into bond to the Clerk of the 
 Councell for his Majestie’s use in the summe of one thousand 
 pounds English, with condition to beare all the charges neces¬ 
 sary for the performing of all that by this order is required 
 to be done, and to be personally present at the seeing of it 
 done, and not to suffer any interruption or impediment to be 
 given thereunto. And that such of the stones of the Chappelle 
 as said James Magrath shall carry out, shall not at any time 
 hereafter during his life be returned to that island. And that 
 he shall from time to time take order that no person or persons 
 be admitted at any time hereafter during his life with his per¬ 
 mission or knowledge, or privily to go into that place or island 
 called St. Patrick’s Purgatory, to the end to say Masse there, 
 or to perform any pilgrimage, offerings, or any other super¬ 
 stitious ceremonies there. And that he shall suffer no Boate 
 to be kept there to pass to or from the said island. And that 
 during his life there shall not be any conventions there of 
 Jesuits, Fryars, Priests, Nuns, or any other superstitious orders 
 of the Popish pretended Cleargie that the said James Magrath 
 shall be able to prevent: which bond being so entered into, the 
 Sargeant at Arms, in whose custodie the said Magrath now 
 remayneth, is upon Certificate hereof from the Clerke of the 
 Councell to release said Magrath, he paying his fees. For 
 which a copy of this order, attested by the Clerke of the 
 Councell, shall be his Warrant, Dated 13th of September, 1632. 
 
 “Charles Wilmott, Thom. Baltinglasse, Robert Ranelagh, 
 Wm. Parsons, John King, Thom. Rotheram.” 
 
 In the light of the freedom now enjoyed by Irish 
 ■Catholics in their religious practices, we may well stand 
 aghast at the persecuting spirit disclosed in the foregoing 
 
138 
 
 ST. Patrick’s purgatory. 
 
 “ Order of Council,” an ukase which for malignity might 
 tax the ingenuity of a Nero or a Caligula. It is a sad 
 reflection that the chief agents in the assault upon this 
 cherished institution were the Protestant Archbishops of 
 Dublin and Armagh, Adam Loftus and the learned Usher, 
 and their but too obsequious instrument, Spottiswoode, 
 third Protestant bishop of Clogher. Dr. James Spottis¬ 
 woode, in the following letter addressed to Dr. Usher, tells 
 how the foregoing “ Order of Councell” was executed :— 
 
 “ Most Rev. and Most Hon. Lord. 
 
 “ Your Grace like enough may be desirous to know what 
 is done touching the demolition of St. Patrick’s Purgatory, 
 required by the Lords Justices and Councell to be done by me 
 and some other joynt Commissioners with me. May it please 
 your Grace then, the next day after I took my leave of your¬ 
 self at Armagh, I sent the coppy of the Lords Justices and 
 Councell’s letter, with the Order and Commission to everyone 
 of my fellow Commissioners, and appointed our Rendevouze at 
 the towne * next Lough Derge, the 25th of this instant 
 October. Prom them I received answer, that they might well 
 come alone, but could get none to accompany them, or any 
 labourers or tooles upon any tearmes; and that a hundred meU 
 were not able to execute the Commission in a fortnight: 
 notwithstanding whereof, I required them again to keep the 
 day, and assured them, however, that I myselfe would be 
 present; and accordingly I came to the place appointed the 
 24th day, with some twenty able men in my company well 
 armed, and brought with us all sorts of tooles fitting for the 
 service. 
 
 “ If I had not come so appointed, we had returned without 
 efiecting anything; for the High Sherifie of Donnegall came 
 
 * The town referred to must have been Pettigo, or as it was then 
 called Cowlenver, to hold a fair in which licence was given to James 
 Magrath on 22nd December, 1610. 
 
LOUGH DERG. 
 
 139 
 
 not at the day, the High Sheriffe of Farmanagh, on the other 
 side, came no better appointed than the one serving man, and 
 showed himself altogether unwilling, and refused to enter the 
 island. I had many discouragements myselfe. For, first, I 
 was forced on a rainy day on a bleake place without any 
 shelter to horse or man there hours before we could have the 
 Boate. The winde in the meantime did rise, and there was 
 none could take in hand to guide the Boate through dangerous 
 rockes lying between the maine and the island. Again we 
 were certified that we might be hardly put to ic for fault of 
 victualls, if we tooke them not in with ourselves; for the 
 windes would sometimes blow ten days together so strong that 
 no Boate would venture out or in: Nothwithstanding all 
 which discouragements, I adventured to go in without victualls 
 and stayed in the island till the service was done. 
 
 “ The first thing I searched diligently after was the caves, 
 wherein I remembered your Grace enjoyned me to digge to 
 the very foundations, and leave no corner unsought, and so I 
 did; I caused to digge about it on all sides, till I came to the 
 Bocke, but I found no appearance of any secret passage, either 
 to the Chappell or to the Lough; neither would the nature of 
 the ground suffer it; in a word, the cave was a poor beggarly 
 hole, made with some stones, layd together with men’s hands 
 without any great art; and after covered with earth, such as 
 husbandmen make to keep a few hogs from the raine. 
 
 “ When I could find nothing there, I undermined the 
 Chappell, which was well covered with shingles, and brought 
 all down together. Then we broke down the Circles and 
 Saints’ Beds, which were like so many coal pits, and so pulled 
 down some great Irish houses. Thus, when I had defaced all, 
 saving one Irish house, I came out of the island myself, and 
 left one half of my men to pull that down also as soon as they 
 should see me landed, not sooner; lest if by a storm we were 
 driven back, we might want a place to shelter us. 
 
 “The Countrie people expected that St. Patricke would 
 have wrought some miracles; but thanks be to God none of 
 
140 
 
 ST. Patrick’s purgatory. 
 
 my company received any other harme than the bad wayes, 
 broken cawsies, and the dangers going in a little Boate: Yet 
 one comfort is, we elBfected that for which we came hither, 
 which was more than was expected could be done in so short a 
 time, which hath wonderfully displeased them who were be¬ 
 witched with these fooleries. But that I do not stand much 
 upon, in regard I have obeyed the command of the State, and 
 punctually, also, done what your Grace did enjoyne, whose 
 directions I shall be ever ready to followe, and shall ever 
 remaine 
 
 Your Grace’s most affectionate in all duty, 
 
 James* Clogher.” 
 
 “ Clogher, October 31st, Anno 1632.” 
 
 But midst weal and woe the Irish heart had lovingly 
 entwined itself round this island sanctuary. And though 
 the Augustinian Canons *1* were no more to return to 
 Saints’ Island, J a place of residence for the officiating 
 
 * How strikingly in contrast with the zealots of a sterner age are 
 not the Protestant dignitaries of our own time, some of whom, especi¬ 
 ally such lights as Drs. Beeves and Graves, have made valuable con¬ 
 tributions to Irish antiquarian and ecclesiastical literature ? 
 
 + That the Augustinians held some connection with Lough Derg aa 
 late as 1660 would appear from a list of those who assisted at a Synod 
 of the ecclesiastical province of Armagh, held at Killoe, diocese of 
 Ardagh, 8th October, 1660, and amongst others the following:—“The 
 Prior of St. Patrick” {i.e. St. Patrick’s Purgatory) “of the Canons 
 Regular, the Prior of Devenish of Canons Regular, the procurator of the 
 Abbot of Clones of the Canons Regular.” Vide that repertory of 
 historical documents, Cardinal Moran’s Spicilegium Ossoriense, Vol. II., 
 p. 196. 
 
 + On the 6-in. Ordnance Survey Map of the territory of Termon- 
 Dabheoc, some two or three miles in a south-western direction from Lough 
 Derg a place named “ Bohogue-na-Canon” is marked. Here some of the 
 Augustinians, expelled from Saints’ Island, may have tarried for a time 
 and erected there a little oratory for the celebration of the divine 
 mysteries, awaiting an opportunity (not to be realised,) of returning 
 to their ruined abode on Saints’ Island. 
 

.Saints’ Island, Lough Derg. 
 
LOUGH DERG. 
 
 141 
 
 priests was erected on Station Island; the ruined churches 
 and oratories were again put in some sort of repair; and 
 the pilgrimage was resumed with renewed ardour. 
 
 Already have we given our opinion upon the locale of 
 St. Dabheoc’s early monastic establishment on Saints’ 
 Island. We have also supplied documentary evidence of 
 the medieval monastery that flourished there for centuries 
 under the rule of Canons Regular of St. Augustine. 
 Before quitting that hallowed and historic spot it may 
 interest many if we venture to trace in outline the ruins 
 on Saints’ Island, as they appear at the present day ; and 
 thus enable, so far as we can, the pilgrim and tourist to 
 identify the various remains, and the purposes to which 
 they were devoted. The accompanying sketch of Saints’ 
 Island, taken by Mr. Wakeman on 4th September, 1877, 
 will forcibly convey how complete was the work of the 
 destroyer, as not even ruins are visible on it. To obtain 
 a favourable point of view, the artist, in company with the 
 Prior of Lough Derg and the present writer, rowed out 
 some distance from the eastern shore of Saints’ Island, 
 and in the direction of Station Island. Here in the 
 background, on one side, appeared Meenanellison, which 
 signifies the Mountain Meadoiu of the little fort (the little 
 fort can be seen there); and on the other, or northern side, 
 Croagh-Breac, i.e. the specJded stack, or conical mountain, 
 which takes its name from numerous gray crags here and 
 there jutting out from among the heather, and imparting 
 to it a sort of speckled appearance. 
 
 On the southern shore of Saints’ Island the stone piers, 
 on which rested a bridge of beams, is still to be seen. 
 Between those piers runs a channel about twenty yards 
 wide, and from twenty to thirty feet deep, through which 
 flows a strong current from the upper lake. It is said 
 that a tidal ebb and flow are here occasionally per- 
 
142 
 
 ST. PATRICK’S PURGATORY. 
 
 ceptible. Not many years ago a boatman descried, some 
 distance from those piers, two fir spars with iron cranks 
 attached, the inference being that they formed part of the 
 old bridge, and were carried down the stream by the 
 current. Convenient to this bridge, on the mainland, and 
 at the very shore, are visible the foundations of an old 
 building, its enclosure being completely filled up with the 
 fallen walls. Tradition points it out as the ferry-house of 
 Teague O’Doherty * whose name yet lives in the folk-lore 
 of the locality. 
 
 As you ascend the ridge of Saints’ Island, proceeding 
 from the ancient bridge, the first object that attracts 
 attention, on the very summit of the island, is the hip, 
 already referred to as the site of St. Dabheoc’s monastery. 
 Immediately adjoining it, on its eastern side, is the 
 cemetery, which is square-shaped, and enclosed by a 
 strong wall, portions of which still remain, but in a 
 ruinous condition. The cemetery measures thirty-five 
 yards in length by twenty-seven in width. In its centre 
 may be noticed the dilapidated remains of an old structure, 
 which may have been the crypt, or mortuary chapel, 
 raised over the grave of St. Dabheoc and his saintly 
 successors. It measures 18 or 19 feet by 12. Twelve 
 feet west of this structure lies a heap of stones, which 
 formed, perhaps, the situs of St. Dabheoc’s Cross, the 
 head of which is preserved on Station Island, and which 
 has been described when treating of St. Dabheoc. Ad- 
 
 * It is said that Teague subsequently had charge of the ferry between 
 Portcreevy and Station Island. Remains of the boat-quay at Portcreevy 
 are still visible, where a goodly sprinkling of oak, ash and sycamore 
 trees lends a sylvan charm to this once frequented, but long forsaken 
 harbour. For four or five generations O’Dohertys lived on the slopes of 
 Augh-Keen mountain ; but they are now extinct in the locality. 
 
LOUGH DERG. 
 
 143 
 
 joining, on its northern side, what we regard as the 
 Oratory of St. Dabheoc, a large flagstone covers what is 
 traditionally pointed to as the grave of a Prior. Some 
 eighteen feet to the east of the cemetery will be seen the 
 strong earthen fence running right across the island, and 
 enclosing, in the shape of a segment of a circle, a space of 
 ground about one acre and a half in extent, within which 
 area stood the church and the monastery. The church 
 stood about fifty paces to the east of the cemetery, and 
 portions of its walls are still standing. From the church to 
 the cemetery led a passage, about five feet wide, bounded 
 by a wall at either side. That this passage had a vaulted 
 roof we may safely conjecture. 
 
 The strong earthen fence we have already pointed to as 
 intersecting the eastern extremity of the island measures 
 190 yards. On its northern slope it curves towards the 
 east; and at either extremity of it, at the water s edge, a 
 safe landing-place for a boat may be found. Pemains of 
 a double landing stage, or quay, are visible at the southern 
 extremity of the fence. From this spot, we may hazard 
 the opinion, the pilgrims set sail for the Island of the 
 Purgatory, or Station Island, after having visited the 
 monastery on Saints’ Island. Thence, also, put forth the 
 boat conveying the monks, who in their turn resided upon 
 Station Island for the service of the Purgatory. Here, 
 too, landed the visitors to the monastery, after the bridge 
 above referred to had been broken down; although popular 
 story has it that after the bridge failed, the ferry-boat was 
 towed across from pier to pier by means of chains or 
 ropes. From the boat-quay there leads an avenue as 
 wide as an ordinary road to the ridge of the island, to the 
 entrance of the sacred enclosures, so watchfully guarded, 
 lest anyone, perchance, without the needful licence might 
 venture to intrude. The strong earthen fence, already 
 
144 
 
 ST. PATRICK’S PURGATORY. 
 
 described, bounds this avenue on the left, and on the 
 right it is bounded by another earthen fence. 
 
 Within the enclosure are the remains of the church. 
 The walls yet standing are but two or three feet high, and 
 it measures thirty-six feet in length by twenty-six in 
 width. Immediately adjoining the church, and encom¬ 
 passed by a dilapidated wall, we find an area, hexagonal 
 in form, measuring sixty-six yards around. Behind this 
 latter enclosure a hollow space may be observed, and 
 though almost level with the surface, it is seldom to be 
 seen without water. Tradition states that this was the 
 Pilgrims’ Well, * and that here they used to perform their 
 ablutions before taking their departure from Saints’ 
 Island. 
 
 From the point of intersection, where the enclosing 
 rampart crosses the pathway leading from the church to 
 the cemetery, to the eastern extremity of the island, the 
 distance measures ninety yards. At this eastern extremity 
 were three walls of enclosure, as their remains sufficiently 
 indicate, one on the brow of the island, the second round 
 the margin of the shore, and the third about twelve feet 
 farther out in the shallow water. The monastery stood 
 at the eastern extremity of the island. Here all is ruin. 
 
 * Over this Well an aged thorn, its stem and branches overgrown 
 with moss, and hoary with the rime of age, keeps guard and vigil. Its 
 venerable aspect and position remind us of the appropriate lines, taken 
 from the “Legend of Lough Erne,” in Hayes’ Ballads of Ireland, 
 Vol. IL, p. 215 :— 
 
 “ And who can tell that hawthorn’s asre ? 
 
 o 
 
 A fairy charm preserved the tree ! 
 
 Beneath its bending branches lay 
 Deep, clear and still, a crystal well. 
 
 Where monks would oft their Aves say, 
 
 And pilgrims would their Rosaries tell. ” 
 
LOUGH DERG. 
 
 145 
 
 and nothing remains to enable us to trace the style or 
 extent of the building. Trees and bushes find here a 
 fertile soil in which to take root, and a dense cluster of 
 them enshrouds the remains of this once flourishing 
 monastery. Rabbits also find no difficulty in burrowing 
 through the debris^ thus adding to the ruin already exist- 
 ing. People of the locality relate how treasure-seekers 
 dug up the ruins at this spot, as it was supposed the 
 monks had there secreted their valuables before quitting 
 the island. The story may have had its origin in the 
 search for the ancient Purgatorium, made here by a certain 
 Frenchman, of whom more hereafter. It is said the 
 monastery was connected with the church by a vaulted 
 passage or cloister. Among the heaps of rubbish in this 
 spot may be seen some freestone quoins, door-blocks and 
 flagstones, well dressed and chiselled. It is said that many 
 of the ornamental cut-stones * on Saints’ Island were 
 carried off, and converted by farmers in the neighbourhood 
 to such ignoble purposes as doorsteps, window-sills, etc., and 
 even used in the doors and windows of their out-offices. 
 
 Just beside the ruins of the monastery, on the slope 
 fronting Station Island, and on the edge of the lake, are 
 the remains of a building, twenty-two by fifteen feet, the 
 purpose of which I cannot even conjecture. 
 
 * From the Order of the Lords Justices, given in this Chapter, it will 
 be seen how James Magrath was encouraged to carry away the materials 
 of those buildings. Hence we may conclude that much of the valuable 
 ornamental stonework was transferred to the old keep of Termon- 
 Magrath. Some of those carved stones were used as headstones, or 
 monuments, over graves in Templecarne churchyard. A considerable 
 part of the building stones for the edifices on Station Island were here 
 collected. Many of them, also, were cast into the lake, and have not 
 been recovered. In the debria I found but a few blocks of limestone. 
 These, as well as the freestone, must have been conveyed from quarries 
 near Pettigo, fully nine miles distant. 
 
 K 
 
146 
 
 ST. PATRICK’S PURGATORY. 
 
 Witliin this area of one and a half acres, besides the 
 buildings already outlined, were also included the convent 
 gardens. Those gardens are still easily traceable. Even 
 yet the sewers, draining those gardens, can be discerned 
 a little above the shore-line. Besides being free from the 
 rushy and heathy coating of the western portion of the 
 island, they are swarded by a close carpet of grass, and 
 decked with violets, cowslips and ferns, and their terraces 
 bordered with willows and woodbine. 
 
 Hither the pilgrims, availing of an immemorial custom, 
 repair for an occasional excursion from Station Island. 
 Fondly do they delight to linger in this charming spot. 
 The solemnity of the place, the traditions of its former 
 renown, the air of religious solitude that pervades this 
 island hermitage, the story of its desecration and ruin, are 
 calculated to fix upon the mind the deepest impression, 
 apart altogether from the singular attractiveness of the 
 island and its surrounding scenery. 
 
LOUGH DERG. 
 
 147 
 
 CHAPTER XIIL 
 
 DK. KIRWAN, BISHOP OF KILLALA, PILGRIM AND CONFESSOR 
 AT ST. PATRICK’S PURGATORY—TESTIMONY OF THE NUNCIO 
 RINUCCINI IN ITS FAVOUR—THE BELL OF ST. DABHEOC— 
 LETTER OF QUEEN HENRIETTA MARIA IN BEHALF OF 
 THE PILGRIMAGE—ST. PATRICK’S CROSS. 
 
 N the life of Dr. Kirwan, Bishop of Killala, 
 by the Ven. John Lynch, * Archdeacon 
 of Tuam, we have a faithful description 
 of the austerities then endured at this peni¬ 
 tential retreat, as well as of the motives 
 which induced the faithful to flock thither in 
 such numbers. Dr. Lynch writes:— 
 
 “That he” (Dr. Kirwan) “might not he wanting in any 
 species of piety, he reverenced in his soul the custom of making 
 pilgrimages. Nor was he satisfied with visiting such places in 
 Connaught as were consecrated by the sojourn of the saints, 
 and, above all, the rugged mountain called Cruagh-Padrick, f 
 
 * This Life was printed in 1669 under the title of Icon Antistitis, and 
 in 1848 it was republished, together with a translation into English, by 
 the late Rev. C. P. Meehan, Dublin. 
 
 t The “station” on Croagh-Patrick, near Westport, is still held on 
 the last Friday of Summer, though some frequent it on the 15th of 
 August. About three or four hundred pilgrims annually visit it. On 
 the shoulder of the mountain and within about 300 feet of the summit 
 is the first station, in shape a stone circle, round which the pilgrims 
 make fifteen circuits reciting a certain number of Paters and Aves. 
 From this point to the summit the ascent is most difficult, being for a 
 part of the way almost perpendicular. On the crown of the mountain, 
 which is a flat plane of about half an acre in extent, are the remains of 
 
148 
 
 ST. Patrick’s purgatory. 
 
 which he was wont to frequent, often ascending its steep sides, 
 a thousand paces in height, and there staying, according to 
 usage, on the very summit, covered with loose stones, and 
 creeping on bended knees over the rough rock-fragments, which 
 struck one with horror, not to speak of the danger of yawning 
 chasms and precipices. But, often, too, did he go into Ulster, 
 to the far-famed Purgatory of St. Patrick, in which the pilgrims 
 were wont to abstain from meat for nine days, using no food 
 save a little bread and water from the lake. During one of the 
 nine days they are shut up in the dismal darkness of a cavern, 
 and, therein fasting, partake of nothing save a little water to 
 moisten their throats when parched with thirst. At noontide 
 and evening they go on bended knees over paths beaten by the 
 feet of saints, and strewn with sharp stones. In other quarters 
 they walk barefooted over rugged ways, in the olden time 
 frequented by holy men to satisfy for their transgressions. 
 Sometimes walking and sometimes on their knees they advance 
 to a considerable distance in the water. Thus do they spend 
 the day pouring out their prayers to God, and listening to holy 
 discourses; nor in this sacred place is there to be seen, or heard 
 anything scurrilous or ludicrous. When night comes on they 
 lie down, nof'to enjoy repose, but to snatch a few moments 
 sleep; their beds are of straw, nor do they use any pillow but 
 their garments. Tlirice each day did Francis, with the other 
 
 “ St. Patrick’s Altar,” or oratory, some cells, and a large penitential 
 l)ed or circle. At these the pilgrim completes the number of his orisons. 
 Round the summit of Croagh-Patrick runs a low parapet, which pre¬ 
 cludes any danger of falling over its steep sides. On Cruachan-Aigle 
 St. Patrick made a forty days’ retreat; here he overcame the Caco- 
 demons ; and here also took place “ the Striving” with the angel Victor, 
 described in Aubrey de Vere’s “Legends of St. Patrick.” The view 
 from Croagh-Patrick, standing over 2,500 feet above sea level, baffles 
 description. We made Murrisk Abbey on the shore of Clew Bay our 
 point of ascent, and it was almost five hours before we reached it on 
 our return. Only the young and agile are capable of hazarding this 
 feat of Alpine climbing ; yet among the pilgrims, as I learned, many 
 old persons are to be met with. 
 
LOUGH DERG. 
 
 149 
 
 pilgrims, punctually perform these duties, and, in addition, he 
 diligently applied himself to hearing confessions and preaching 
 sermons.” 
 
 One of the most favourable testimonies to the renown 
 and sanctity of this pilgrimage is that furnished by the 
 Papal Nuncio, Kinuccini, in the report of his nunciature, 
 made to the Holy See on his return to Rome in 1649. 
 After stating bow much he desired to rescue * from the 
 hands of the Calvinists the far-famed Purgatory of St. 
 Patrick, he adds :— 
 
 “ The devotions of this deep cave are of great antiquity, 
 though their first origin is uncertain. It is agreed that the 
 saint chose that spot for his holy retreats; and the visions with 
 which he was there favoured by God were well known and 
 approved of by succeeding generations. At present the fury of 
 the Calvinists has levelled everything with the ground, and 
 filled up the cave; and thus they have destroyed every vestige 
 of the spot, so do they seek to cancel every trace of its memory. 
 It seemed to me that my mission from Rome should embrace 
 this, too, as one of its special objects; and I would have been, 
 in part, content, could I have planted the cross on that island. 
 Bat I was not blessed with the fulfilment of this design.”! 
 
 In the Spicilegium Ossoriense (Vol. II., pp. 201-208) 
 
 * In a note to Dr. Kirwan’s Life, Pii Antistitis Icon, Father Meehan 
 mentions a fact well worthy of attention, attesting the veneration of 
 the Purgatory in the seventeenth century. He says, “ In the year 1647, 
 Rinuccini engaged Owen Roe O’Neill to drive the Parliamentarians out 
 of Sligo ; but, owing to the dissensions then rife in the Supreme Council, 
 the northern General was not able to undertake the expedition ; whereon 
 the Nuncio, writing to Cardinal Panzirolo, states that if he had 8,000 
 dollars, he would have made ‘ Red Owen’ irresistible, and that army, 
 having seized Enniskillen, would have marched to recover ‘ the holy 
 place, called St. Patrick’s Purgatory,’ now more than a hundred years 
 in the possession of heretics.”—Rinuccini, p. 224. 
 
 t Nunciatura, p. 414. 
 
loO 
 
 ST. PATRICK’S PURGATORY. 
 
 there is a letter, taken from the Rinuccini MSS., written 
 in 1660 by the Bishops and Clergy of the Province of 
 Armagh in defence of the illustrious Primate, Edmund 
 O’Peilly, against the accusations of Peter Walsh and 
 other agents of the English faction. Among the signa¬ 
 tories to this letter, the seventh name on the list is that 
 of “ Thadeus O’Clery, S.T.D., Vicar-General of Raphoe, 
 Protonotary Apostolic, and Prior of St. Patrick's Purga¬ 
 tory.” The same dignitary was present at a meeting 
 of the Bishops, and other ecclesiastics, held at Clonmac- 
 noise in 1649, and subscribed its decrees as Procurator 
 of the Bishop of Raphoe. Others, too, we may admit, 
 of the Raphoe clergy administered occasionally to the 
 wants of the pilgrimage; and to this may be ascribed 
 the tradition that at one time the pilgrimage was con¬ 
 ducted by the clergy of Raphoe. But, we must bear in 
 mind that in those troublous times extensive jurisdiction 
 was conferred upon Irish missionaries, and that the field 
 of their zeal and labours was not even confined to one 
 diocese, but often extended over several dioceses; as an 
 instance of this we find the name of Rev. Dominick 
 Bradley, or O’Brullaghan, a zealous priest of the diocese 
 of Derry (of whom more hereafter), recorded as having 
 frequently visited St. Patrick’s Purgatory, and actively 
 engaged in its station duties. 
 
 When the community of the Franciscan monastery of 
 Donegal were forced to abandon their cloisters in 1601, 
 the greater part of them found a home and a refuge in 
 Louvain, Brussels and Antwerp, still some remained 
 behind in their native country, hoping that the dawn 
 of better days might witness their restoration to their 
 plundered abode by the banks of the Eske. Of these, we 
 may infer, some extended the consolations of religion to 
 their afflicted countrymen, and even volunteered their 
 
LOUGH DERG. 
 
 151 
 
 services in the difficult and dangerous office of ministering 
 to the pilgrims, who still came flocking to the sanctuary 
 of Lough Derg. About the time in question many of the 
 Augustinian houses in the North of Ireland had passed 
 into the hands of the Franciscans; many of the missionary 
 clergy were also Franciscans, and even some of the bishops. 
 In a Relatio status of the northeru dioceses by Primate 
 Oliver Plunkett, dated March 6th, 1675, we find the follow¬ 
 ing reference to Clogher and Raphoe, fully conveying what 
 we have already said :— 
 
 “ The diocese of Clogher is about fifty miles long and sixteen 
 wide; it has thirty-five parish priests, two convents of the 
 Franciscans, and one of the Dominicans. The Bishop is Dr. 
 Patrick Duffy, formerly a Franciscan friar.” 
 
 Of Raphoe it is said that it possessed one convent of the 
 Franciscans. From those convents, we may rightly con¬ 
 clude, some of the friars were deputed each season to 
 minister to the spiritual wants of the pilgrims, as down to 
 the time of Friar Anthony O’Doherty (1763) the friars do 
 not appear to have had a permanent residence on the 
 island. When Dr. Hugh MacMahon, bishop of Clogher, 
 visited the island in 1714, he found the Franciscans in 
 charge; and, later on in the eighteenth century, we find 
 Father M'Grath and Father O’Doherty conducting it. A 
 Friar Conway * is also named as among the Franciscans 
 who attended to the pilgrims at Lough Derg. From “ An 
 Account of the Jesuit Missions in Ireland from 1641 to 
 1650, written in 1651,” and published in the Spioilegium 
 Ossoriense (Vol. II., p. 76), I take the following paragraph 
 
 * This Friar Conway was a maternal relative of the late Edward 
 Nicholson of Beech-Hill, Derry, who for the greater part of his life 
 made an annual pilgrimage to Lough Derg. 
 
152 
 
 ST. pateick’s purgatory. 
 
 dealing with St. Patrick’s Purgatory, which I thus 
 translate:— 
 
 “Therehas existed in Ireland for fully twelve hundred years 
 a celebrated pilgrimage to a holy island, where the Purgatory of 
 St. Patrick has been frequented with uninterrupted devotion by 
 great crowds of people. A great number of Parliamentarian 
 forces, both horse and foot, having been landed on that island, 
 expelled with summary vengeance the Franciscan Friars who 
 had care of the holy place. And, lest anything might be 
 wanting to their deeds of wanton desecration, they defiled the 
 crypt itself, or the Purgatorium, and then filled it up with 
 stones and mud. In consequence of which sacrilege they were 
 all visited with the anger of Heaven, and died in a few days after 
 of dysentery and a foul internal malady.” 
 
 It would be difficult to determine whether the above 
 passage refers to the expulsion of the monks by Sir 
 William Stewart, or to a subsequent inroad from the 
 Parliamentarian forces, perhaps after the fatal day of 
 Scariff-Hollis, 21st of June, 1650. 
 
 The Hev. John Richardson, Protestant Rector of Bel- 
 turbet, in the year 1727, wrote a bitterly hostile account of 
 St. Patrick’s Purgatory, entitled the “ Folly of Pilgrimages,” 
 in which he relates how a certain Frenchman, named 
 Ludovicus Pyrrhus, of Bretagne, came to Lough Derg 
 about the year 1693, for the purpose of discovering the 
 ancient purgatorial cave. Mr. Richardson’s words are :— 
 
 “ In order to do this he employed labourers to dig and search 
 for it throughout both these islands, the neighbouring priests 
 civinjr their assistance. He continued two summers at this 
 work, and after he had spent all the money he brought with 
 him, fell a trafficking and applied the profit to the same use. 
 At last as he was searching among the rubbish of a dwelling- 
 house in the largest island, he found a window with iron 
 
LOUGH DERG. 
 
 158 
 
 «tanchers. Mrl Art MacCullen,* popish priest of the parish, 
 Mr. Mark Magrath, and Mr. James Maxwell, a Protestant, 
 who gave me this account, being present. There happened to 
 be a dark cavity under the window, and, after digging a little 
 deeper, they found it to be a cellar window; whereupon 
 Lndovicus Pyrrhus ceased from searching any more, and re¬ 
 turned to his native country. Among the rubbish they found 
 a little bell, which is now in the College of Dublin; and an 
 image, which is said to be the image of Caoranach, and is 
 kept on the lesser island for the satisfaction of the pilgrims.” 
 
 Whether this Ludovicus Pyrrhus had been in search of 
 the ancient purgatorial cave, or of the valuables secreted 
 here by the Augustinian monks, I cannot say; but it 
 would seem that this incident it was which gave rise to 
 the popular tradition, namely, that a good many years 
 ago, treasure-seekers had torn up the ruins at the eastern 
 extremity of Saints’ Island, but failed in discovering the 
 much coveted valuables. 
 
 The bell said to have been found in the ruins on Saints’ 
 Island by Ludovicus Pyrrhus, was probably the bell of 
 St. Dabheoc. I have heard that many years ago a square 
 bronze bell, purportiog to be St. Dabheoc’s Bell, was pre¬ 
 served on one of the altars at Lough Derg; but there is 
 no longer any trace or record of its whereabouts. If this 
 be the bell found by Ludovicus Pyrrhus, which is very 
 likely, and if it be true that in Mr. Richardson’s time it 
 was preserved in the “ College of Dublin ” (i.e. Trinity 
 College), I think it may be hereafter identified. 
 
 * In the registry of Irish Parish Priests, aiino 1704, I find the name 
 of Rev. Art MacCullen thus recorded:—“Art MacCullin; place of 
 abode, Derryroan ; age, fifty-eight; parish, Came” {i.e. Templecarne); 
 “time of receiving popish orders, about May 1670 ; received orders at 
 Dublin from Oliver Plunket, Titular Primate of Ireland.”—See L'ish 
 Eccl. Recordy Vol. 12. 
 
154 
 
 ST. PATRICK’S PURGATORY. 
 
 The other object of antiquity, namely,' the image of 
 Caoranach* also said to have been discovered in the 
 cellar of the monastery on Saints’ Island, cannot now be 
 traced or identified. By some it was supposed, but 
 erroneously, to have been identical with the heraldic com¬ 
 position, which appears on the date stone of an edifice, 
 erected on Station Island by Friar Anthony O’Doherty, 
 O.S.F., in the year 1763. Of this sculpturing I shall 
 merely say in the present connexion, that it represents 
 the family arms of the O’Doherty clan, showing a stag 
 with antlers of goodly proportions. 
 
 Among the visitors who came to Lough Derg in the 
 
 * The Caoranach, also called Gaol, was a mythological animal, partly 
 a wolf and in part a serpent, which infested those parts, and spread 
 terror and ruin on every side. This was very likely the serpent, which 
 St. Patrick, as the legend narrates, put to death, and whose blood 
 dyed the water of the lake red. 
 
 I shall here insert the legend about the serpent, as taken from an 
 old MS. of the O'Clerighs, and published by Donnellan in the notes to 
 his translation of the Four Masters :— 
 
 “An extraordinary serpent called the ‘Caol’ was in the habit of 
 thus passing its time. It came to Finlough (Lough Derg), each morn¬ 
 ing, where it remained until night, and then proceeded to Gleann-na- 
 caole, near Lough Erne, and there during the night it consumed a great 
 deal of the produce of that locality ; until St. Patrick, the religious 
 Champion of God, came into Ireland, and, hearing of this monster, he 
 went straight to Finlough, where the serpent then was on an island in 
 the lake. Immediately it took to the water, and with its devouring 
 
 mouth open it set all the lake in commotion.Finally it 
 
 directed its course to the shore of the island, and opening its mouth, 
 it cast forth its infernal poisonous matter, like a shower of hail-stones, 
 over the lake, but chiefly to the place where the saint and his clergy 
 stood. The saint, however, having prayed to God, cast his crozier at 
 the serpent, which pierced its breast, so that it turned its back at him, 
 and its blood flowed so profusely that it tiirned all the water of the 
 lake red. After that, St. Patrick said that Finlough (the fair lake) 
 would be called Lough Derg {i.e. the red lake), thenceforth until the 
 Day of Judgement.” 
 
LOUGH DERG. 155 
 
 seventeenth century, through motives of curiosity and in¬ 
 quisitiveness, may be mentioned a Mr. Ashe, whom James I. 
 sent for that purpose ; also a Mr. Coppinger; and later still 
 Dillon, Earl of Roscommon, who in ‘Company with one 
 Anthony Lipsett, a surveyor, was able to give a full descrip¬ 
 tion of it. Before Lord Dillon’s visit, Coppinger describes 
 the church as “furnished at the east with a high altar, 
 covered with linen cloth, over which directly hangs the 
 image of our Lady, with our Saviour in her arms; on the 
 right, the picture of our Saviour on the cross; and on the 
 left, the picture of the three kings, offering their presents 
 to our Saviour.” 
 
 The church here spoken of is St. Mary’s Church, which, 
 between demolitions and restorations, always maintained 
 its position on Station Island, and on or about the site of 
 the present St. Mary’s. At that time it was the only 
 church of the pilgrimage, as St. Patrick’s, or “ Prison 
 Chapel,” was not erected for many years after, and not 
 until the narrow vault, called the Gavevna Purgatorii, 
 was discontinued as the place of vigil and meditation. 
 
 Six years after the second demolition of the Purgatory, 
 Henrietta Maria, Queen of Charles I. of England, wrote a 
 letter to the ill-fated Lord Stafford, who was then Lord 
 Deputy, asking him to use his best efforts to allow the 
 devotion of St. Patrick’s Purgatory to be no longer dis¬ 
 allowed, that such a favour on his part would give her 
 great satisfaction, and that he would hUve no reason to 
 repent of having done her so great a service. In the 
 letter the Queen adds that she commissioned the Earl of 
 Antrim to treat with him on the subject, and she concludes 
 by reminding him how grateful she would be on every 
 occasion for such a particular favour. The letter, which is 
 very interesting, will be found in the Ulster Journal of 
 Archaeology, and is well worthy of reproduction. 
 
156 
 
 ST. pateick’s purgatoky. 
 
 It is written in the French of that period, thus:— 
 
 “ Monsieur Wentworth, 
 
 “ Je vouz ay escrit cy devant pour des Eecommendations; 
 oil je vous ay recognue sy prompt k m6 obligor, que cela m’a 
 fait vous escrire moy meme, pour vouz en remercier; et aussi 
 pour prier d’une chose qui est, que vous voulies soufrier q’une 
 Devotion que le peuple de ce pays a toujours en a une place a 
 Saint Patrice ne soit point abolie: Iss en useront sy modeste- 
 ment, que vous n’aures point de Paison de vous en repentir; 
 et vous me feres un grand plaisir. J’donne charge a M. Antrim 
 de solicitor I’affaire aupres de vous. C’est pourquoy je finirai, 
 en vous assurant, que vous ne trouveres point en moy une 
 Personne ingrate, mais une qui vous fera paroistre en toutes 
 occasions le Desir qu’elle a de vous obligor, et qui sera tou¬ 
 jours 
 
 Yotre bien bonne Amie 
 
 Henrietta Marie K.” 
 
 To this letter Wentworth sent a reply from Dublin 
 Castle, dated 10th October, 1638, in which he states that 
 the “thing itself” (mark his dread of even naming the 
 place) “ was destroyed before his coming to the kingdom, 
 and that he was right glad none of his counsel was in the 
 matter.” He says that being absolutely taken away there 
 is greater difficulty in restoring it. Besides, the place is 
 in the midst of the great Scottish Plantations “ where some 
 men’s zeal hath run them already beyond tbeir wits.” 
 He next expresses an opinion that “ he may do passing 
 wisely to let this devotion rest awhile till there may be a 
 fitter opportunity apprehended for effecting her Majesty’s 
 satisfaction therein.” 
 
 One of the oldest relics of the ancient sanctuary of 
 Lough Derg is the Cross of St. Patrick.* This un- 
 
 * In a series of articles published in the Derry Journal during the 
 summer of 1878, and written by a distinguished priest of the diocese of 
 
LOUGH DERG 
 
 157 
 
 doubtedly stood on Saints’ Island when the religious 
 establishment was there; and, judging from its style and 
 art, dates as far back as the twelfth century at least, 
 though Mr. Wakeman seems to think it may be as old as 
 the ninth century. The sketch of this cross (which we 
 here present to our readers), drawn on the spot by Mr. 
 Wakeman on the 4th of September, 1877, and engraved 
 
 8t. Patrick’s Cross, Station Island. 
 
 Derry, now deceased, reference is made to this cross in the following 
 eloquent terms:—“The grand cross, which had it been spared by 
 Balfour and Stewart, might take its place with the celebrated crosses 
 of Monasterboice and Clonmacnoise, was flung into the lake, but the 
 shaft still remained. It was taken out of the lake and erected on the 
 island, where it remains a memorial of the past, and a testimony of the 
 artistic skill of our forefathers.” The same writer adds, that “the 
 cross of Lough Derg was a unique specimen of a cross, there being few 
 of the same class to be seen in Ireland at present,” 
 
158 ST. Patrick’s purgatory. 
 
 on the wood by Mrs. Millard, includes also the fragment 
 of St. Dabheoc’s Cross, described at page 41 of this work. 
 
 St. Patrick’s Cross exhibits more artistic skill than the 
 fragment referred to, and, though it clearly belongs to a 
 later date, it too is unquestionably of great antiquity. 
 The shaft of St. Patrick’s Cross on Station Island is 
 circular, with a raised band of spiral tracery running 
 around it; the base and capital being octagonal. Its 
 dimensions are—Height of shaft between pedestal and 
 capital, 3 ft. 7 in.; height of capital, in.: diameter of 
 capital, 8 in. The capital is formed by three raised parallel 
 bands with two hollow grooves between, running round it 
 horizontally. A small portion of the capital has been 
 broken off, and the shaft itself has been fractured a little 
 above the pedestal, but it is kept together by an iron band 
 or clasp. The order of demolition from the Privy Council 
 and the letter of Sir William Stewart plainly show that 
 the cross was thus broken when the iconoclasts invaded 
 Saints’ Island, and it forcibly attests how complete was 
 the work of the destroyer. This cross now stands within 
 a little mound of stones, or circulus, near the southern 
 gable of St. Patrick’s, or “Prison” Chapel, though its 
 former situs in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries 
 was midway between St. Mary’s Church and the Gaverna 
 Purgatoriiy between the present St. Mary’s Church and 
 the modern campanile. The shaft must have been sur¬ 
 mounted by a stone cross, which rested in the socket still 
 to be seen at its top. The cross was broken off, and no 
 trace of it is to be found, but in its place there is a plain 
 iron cross, made fast by lead. Around it ex voto offerings 
 may be seen suspended. The popular legend about it is 
 that it was transferred miraculously from Saints’ Island, 
 where it formerly stood; and that the event confirmed 
 the selection of Station Island as the place of pilgrimage. 
 
LOUGH DERG. 
 
 159 
 
 The statement hazarded in the Irish Monthly of January, 
 1878, that this stone cross is the identical Clogh-Oir, is 
 unsupported by the least tittle of evidence ; for, it is well 
 known that the Clogh-Oir stood at the royal and eccle¬ 
 siastical city of Clogher, where it is still pointed out leaning 
 against the northern transept of the Protestant church 
 there. Of this “grand old cross with its fluted shaft,” 
 wrote Dr. Henry Jones, 4th Protestant Bishop of Clogher, 
 who visited the island in 1647. He says:—“ He saw a 
 stone cross, part broken, part standing, and in the east of 
 the church was another cross, made of twigs, interwoven.” 
 What suggestive words ! the poor friars, unable to provide 
 a cross of stone in place of those so ruthlessly broken, 
 were compelled to provide as a substitute a cross with 
 “ twigs interwoven.” 
 
 What incalculable good the Sanctuary of Lough Derg 
 has contributed to religion and morality since its origin, 
 and with what oil of comfort it has soothed the bleeding 
 wounds of our persecuted country during the long and 
 dismal penal times, will never be fully realised until the 
 great Accounting Day. The learned Balmez, in his 
 European Civilization, speaking of the advantages ren¬ 
 dered to society by the retreats of the solitaries, and by 
 pilgrimages thereto, justly says :— 
 
 “It is impossible not to understand how much these commu¬ 
 nications must have contributed to correct and elevate ideas re¬ 
 lating to religion and morality, and to amend and purify morals.” 
 
 Notwithstanding the enactments so cruelly enforced 
 against this venerable retreat, it still remained firmly as 
 ever rooted in the hearts and affections of the Irish race ; 
 it has outlived the persecution of Elizabeth, James the 
 First, and the Cromwellian freebooters, and it still con¬ 
 tinues to flourish with ever-increasing life and vigour. 
 
160 
 
 ST. Patrick’s purgatory. 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 confiscation of the lands of TERMON-DABHEOC—WRIT¬ 
 INGS AGAINST THE PILGRIMAGE—THE STATUTE OF QUEEN 
 ANNE—BISHOP HUGH MACMAHON’s VISITATION OF THE 
 SANCTUARY—“B.D.”—DR. DE BURGO—TURLOUGH O’CAROLAN. 
 
 E have already seen that the property con- 
 ferred by our pious ancestors upon the 
 religious community of St. Dabheoc at 
 Lough Derg was known for many centuries 
 under the name of Termon-Dabheoc. Its 
 area comprised 30,000 acres, and it was valued 
 hy Griffith at <£8,500 per annum. About the 
 fourteenth century, the Magraths having become termoners 
 of those church lands, it came to be known as Termon- 
 Magrath. In the 38th year of Queen Elizabeth, Donagh 
 Magrath, chieftain of Termon-Magrath, and his eldest son, 
 Milerius, the apostate Franciscan friar, surrendered to the 
 Queen the lands of Termon-Magrath and Termon- 
 O’Mongan for the purpose of reducing the lands to 
 English tenure, and with intent that they should be 
 regranted to Donagh for life, with remainder to Miler, 
 and to Miler’s sons in succession. In the same year they 
 were so granted.* In the year 1604 the site of the 
 monastery of Lough Derg, and the lands of Termon- 
 Magrath with other estates, were granted by James I. 
 to Robert Leicester.! In 1610, Termon-Magrath and 
 Termon-O’Mongan were conferred upon James Magrath, 
 
 * Vide Morrin’s Calendar, Vol. 2, pp. 361-362. 
 t See Erck’s Patent Rolls, p. 107. 
 
LOUGH DERG. 
 
 161 
 
 SOU of Miler Magrath, subject to a chief rent of £10 
 yearly. This James Magrath, it might seem, connived at 
 the pilgrimage, if we take him to be the same person as 
 that referred to by Richardson, who says that in 1727 
 there stood in the south-eastern part of Station Island 
 an altar, called “St. Patrick’s Altar,” with an old cro^s 
 having a circle on it, and the inscription. Jacobus 
 McGrath fieri fecit, 1632, Of this inscription I failed to 
 find any trace on the island. The Auchinleck MSS. 
 state that James Magrath afterwards disposed of his 
 interest in the termonlands to Dr. Spottiswoode, Pro¬ 
 testant bishop of Clogher, appointed to Clogher 1621, 
 and who died in 1644. The extract from the Auchinleck 
 MSS. is as follows: — “ Nowe had the Bishoppe ” (Dr. 
 Spottiswoode) “got eight or nyne Townelandes lying 
 contigue to his new howse in Clogher, which he destinat 
 to be a perpetuall Demesnes for his succeeding Bishopps, 
 and gott an Act of Estate past thereon. He recovered 
 also other lands, his predecessor, Bishopp Montgomerie, 
 never was in possession of; as, namelie, the Isle of 
 Devenish from the Lord Hastings; the greatest part of 
 the Island of Inishmore, from Sir Ralph Goore, Baronet; 
 the lands of Termon Grathe, from James Magrath, etc.”* 
 Thus did those possessions become part of the see lands 
 of the Protestant bishops of Clogher. 
 
 Dr. Spottiswoode was succeeded by Dr. Henry Jones, 
 on whose translation to Meath in 1661, Dr. John Leslie 
 was appointed to Clogher by Charles II. He fixed his 
 residence at Glasslough in the county of Monaghan, and 
 became the founder of the family, whose present lineal 
 representative is Sir John Leslie, Bart. From Dr. 
 Leslie’s time down to the year 1836 his descendants have 
 
 * See Rev. W. H. Bradshaw's EnnUhillen Long Ago. 
 
 L 
 
162 
 
 ST. Patrick’s purgatory. 
 
 continued in possession of the lands of Termon-Magrath 
 under what is known as a bishop’s lease, i.e. a lease for 
 21 years, renewable for a like term on payment of a fine.* 
 On the 16 th July, 1836, a deed was executed between 
 Dr. Tottenham, Protestant bishop of Clogher, the Eccle¬ 
 siastical Commissioners, and Christina Powell Leslie, and 
 John Francis Fosberry (the two latter being trustees of 
 the will of Charles Powell Leslie, 2nd,) whereby the said 
 trustees agreed to purchase the fee-simple of the Pettigo 
 estate, or Termon-Magrath, the amount of purchase being 
 £4,508, 6s. 4d., the lands to be subject to the annual 
 fee-farm rent of £461, 10s. 9Jd. The total purchase 
 paid for that extensive estate of 49 sessiaghs, which are 
 fully described with their metes and bounds in Hill’s 
 Plantation of Ulster, not far exceeds its present annual 
 rental. The Leslie family having thus become closely 
 connected with the ancient patrimony of Lough Derg, 
 occasional references to that family in the sequence of 
 this narrative will be the more readily understood. 
 
 We gather from what has been already said how much 
 this place of pilgrimage had exercised the zeal of the 
 Protestant bishops of Clogher. To effectually put a stop 
 to this devotion they regarded as their paramount duty. 
 Dr. James Spottiswoode is said to have written a treatise 
 regarding it, intituled St. Patrick's Purgatory. His 
 successor, Dr. Henry Jones, also took it to task in his 
 Patrick, his Purgatory (London, 1647). Richardson in 
 his Folly of Pilgrimages (Dublin, 1727), acknowledges 
 in the preface to that work, the helps he received from 
 the “ present and late bishop of Clogher, the draught of 
 the whole island, and all the superstitious things in it 
 
 * In modern times the rent reserved by this lease was £60 per year, 
 and the renewal fine £400. 
 
LOUGH DERG. 
 
 163 
 
 was sent to me by Bishop Ashe, being made by an in¬ 
 genious and worthy clergyman, the Rev. Joseph Story, 
 pursuant to his lordship’s direction.” We also find that 
 the Rev. Philip Skelton, Rector of Fintona (his works, 
 6 vols., Dublin, 1770), dedicates his account of Lough 
 Derg to the then 'Protestant bishop of Clogher (probably 
 Dr. Robert Clayton of Arian notoriety). Another book, 
 styled a Description of Longh Derg, was published by 
 the Rev. Mr. Hewson, Protestant Archdeacon of Armagh 
 (Dublin, 1727). These and kindred notices abound in 
 misrepresentations, and are chiefly caricatures, holding up 
 to ridicule the austere penances and devotions of a perse¬ 
 cuted people, who, despite their many sufferings and 
 privations, continued to flock to this hallowed retreat. 
 
 From the destruction of the sanctuary of Lough Derg, 
 in 1632, down to the second year of the reign of Queen 
 Anne (1704), the pilgrimage continued each year increasing 
 in the number of its votaries, and in its reputation for 
 sanctity. In that year, however, an Act was passed 
 prohibiting pilgrimages in general, but especially that of 
 St. Patrick’s Purgatory, in the following words:— 
 
 “And whereas the superstitions of Popery are greatly 
 increased and upheld by the pretended sanctity of places, 
 especially of a place called St. Patrick’s Purgatory, in tho 
 County of Donegal, and of wells, to which pilgrimages are made 
 
 by vast numbers at certain seasons.Be it further 
 
 enacted, that all such meetings and assemblies shall be deemed 
 and adjudged riots and unlawful assemblies, and punishable as 
 such, in all or any persons meeting at such places as aforesaid. 
 And all sheriffs, justices of the peace, and other magistrates, 
 are hereby required to be diligent in putting the laws in force 
 against all offenders in the above particulars in due execution.” 
 
 And further on in the same enactment it is decreed 
 that a fine of ten shillings be inflicted on any offender, 
 
ST. Patrick’s purgatory. 
 
 104 
 
 and, in default of payment, that he be publicly whipped. 
 Also that persons who at such assemblies build booths or 
 cabins for the sale of victuals or any other commodity^ 
 shall forfeit and pay the sum of twenty shillings, to be 
 forthwith levied by distress. This enactment, 2nd Anne, 
 chap. 6, thus concludes:—“ And all and every the said 
 magistrates are hereby required to demolish all crosses, 
 pictures, and inscriptions that are anywhere publicly set 
 up, and are the occasions of Popish superstitions.” * 
 
 As to the numbers making the pilgrimage in the com¬ 
 mencement of the eighteenth century, the Rev. Mr. 
 Hewson, already referred to, who wrote his account of 
 St. Patrick’s Purgatory on the 1st of August, 1701, says :— 
 “ There were near 5,000 there last year, as the Prior told 
 me, who registers their names ; but not 2,000 had been 
 there this year, when I was there,*]* and commonly more 
 men than women.” He afterwards adds :—“ There were 
 about 300 of these devotees (sixty of which were in the 
 caves) when I was there.” The more effectually to put a 
 stop to the pilgrimage, the mountain district leading to 
 Lough Derg was “planted” wdtli Protestant settlers. In 
 that district, extending from Pettigo to Lough Derg, the 
 descendants of those planters yet survive ; and though 
 their co-religionists in the neighbouring counties formerly 
 gave much annoyance to the pilgrims, yet to the great 
 credit of the Protestant colony in the neighbourhood of 
 Lough Derg be it said that, with rare exceptions, they 
 have shown a kindly disposition towards the pilgrimage, 
 
 * It was ouly on 13th July, 1871, that the above enactment was 
 repealed by the 34 and 35 Vic., cap. 48. 
 
 t The 1st of August must be regarded as an early day in the Station 
 season. From that date until the close of the Station on 15th August, 
 there are usually more arrivals than in all the previous weeks of the 
 Station put together. 
 
LOUGH DERG. 
 
 165 
 
 and instances can be latterly recorded where they have 
 contributed valuable assistance in the erection of churches 
 and other buildings on Station Island. 
 
 To give the names of all the distinguished persons who 
 made pilgrimage to Lough Derg within the past two 
 hundred years would, indeed, fill many a page. Although 
 the register of them has not been preserved, yet we are 
 able to glean from different sources the names of some 
 of the most noteworthy. From the Irish Ecclesiastical 
 Record, Vol. 2, No. 10 (a source upon which I have drawn 
 for many facts and documents in this work), we learn that 
 Dr. Hugh MacMahon, bishop of Clogher, * presented in 
 the year 1714 to the Sacred Congregation a Relatio 
 Status of his diocese; and among other matters refers at 
 length to the pilgrimage of Lough Derg, of which he made 
 a special visitation. He came to the island of Lough 
 Derg in the disguise of a merchant from Dublin; for, 
 owing to the temper of the times, it was not yet safe for a 
 bishop of the Catholic Church to appear in public in his 
 episcopal capacity. I here subjoin a translation of the 
 Latin copy as found in the Record, from which it will be 
 seen that certain changes had been introduced into the 
 ritual of the pilgrimage since the time when Peter Lombard 
 wrote of it. This most important document, written in 
 the year 1714, runs thus :— 
 
 “ In the northern part of the diocese of Clogher, in a small 
 island, completely surrounded by a lake, is situated that most 
 celebrated place, commonly called St. Patrick’s Purgatory, 
 
 * He was appointed to Clogher in 1707, and translated to Armagh in 
 1715. Dr. Renehan’s Collections erroneously enter his appointment to 
 Clogher in 1708, and his translation to Armagh in 1709. The same 
 work inaccurately describes him as the brother of his successors in the 
 primacy, Hugh and Ross MacMahon. 
 
lOG ST. PATRICK’S PURGATORY. 
 
 towards which, from the beginning of June to the end of 
 August, there crowd each year, from all parts even the most 
 remote of this kingdom, thousands of men and women of every 
 age and condition, who there spend nine days, living on one 
 meal each day of oaten bread and water. They rest upon the 
 cold ground, walk barefoot, and their feet are frequently cut 
 and bleeding. Thrice each day do they visit the different 
 stations over a rough path strewn with sharp pebbles, a con¬ 
 siderable part of which is covered with water knee-deep. At 
 length on the ninth day, having first made a general confession, 
 having expiated all the faults of their life, and being nourished 
 with the Bread of Life, they enter before twilight a subterra¬ 
 neous pit, which is called the purgatory, and here they remain 
 four and twenty continuous hours, all the time awake and 
 engaged in prayer, without any refreshment either of food or 
 drink. When the same hour arrives on the following day they 
 go forth, and dip their heads thrice in the cold water. And 
 thus is completed that pilgrimage, to which idle inventors of 
 fables have added so many exaggerations about spectres and 
 visions, which never had any existence save in the distorted 
 imaginations of such story-tellers. Lor the three months during 
 which this pilgrimage lasts, Masses are celebrated from dawn 
 till mid-day; confessions are heard; twice or three times each 
 day a sermon is addressed to the people, who with copious tears, 
 sobs, lamentations, and other marks of penance, frequently 
 interrupt the preacher. And with such sweetness of interior 
 grace does our most merciful Lord enrich this arduous and very 
 austere pilgrimage, that they who before appeared obdurate and 
 plunged in the mire of vice, came to feel the strongest stings 
 of compunction. Xor are they satisfied with approaching this 
 island once or twice ; for I have found in this diocese persons 
 who made the pilgrimage as often as fourteen times. The plen¬ 
 ary indulgence accorded by the Holy Father, Pope Clement X., 
 to those visiting this pilgrimage (which will soon expire, and 
 requires a renewal), has added no small increase to the fervour 
 of the pious pilgrims. It is regarded by all as little short of a 
 
LOUGH DERG. 
 
 167 
 
 prodigy how this pilgrimage, though prohibited by name, in the 
 foremost place, and under the most severe penalties by Act of 
 Parliament, suffered little or no interruption from the bitter 
 Scotch Calvinists living in the neighbourhood and elsewhere. 
 When I myself visited the place, under the guise of a Dublin 
 merchant (for under the disguise of a trader or tradesman the 
 prelates and non-registered priests of this country generally find 
 it necessary to conceal themselves), the minister of that district 
 received me very kindly. Though everywhere else throughout 
 the kingdom the ecclesiastical functions have ceased, on account 
 of the prevailing persecution ; in this island, as if it were 
 placed in another orb, the exercise of religion is free and public, 
 which is ascribed to a special favour of Divine Providence, and 
 to the merits of St. Patrick. 
 
 “ When I was there, an English Protestant, induced by the 
 fame of the place, and out of curiosity, came there ; and, having 
 been moved to compunction at the sight of the penitents, forth¬ 
 with abjured his heresy. The Franciscan Fathers, beyond all 
 the other ecclesiastics who come there, labour the most strenu¬ 
 ously. At this pilgrimage I remarked one custom (not to call 
 it an abuse), namely, that they who are about to enter the cave 
 have Mass celebrated for them, which is always a Missa de 
 requiem, just as if they were dead to the world, and ready for 
 sepulture ; which when I was anxious to abrogate, at least on 
 Sundays and the principal festivals, on which should be said 
 the Mass conformable to the office, they claimed the authority 
 of immemorial possession and of custom to the contrary, first 
 originated, as tradition says, by St. Patrick himself; which, 
 being constantly asserted by learned and scrupulous men, has 
 perplexed me, and therefore I beg to be instructed by your 
 Eminences as to what I am to do thereon.” 
 
 Some time after Bishop Hugh MacMahon had sent to 
 Rome the iieWio just quoted, supplicatiug the Sovereign 
 Pontiff to grant a renewal of the indulgences vouchsafed 
 10 this pilgrimage, Cardinal Orsini, of the order of Friars 
 
168 
 
 ST. Patrick’s purgatory. 
 
 Preachers, Archbishop of Benevento—and in 1721 raised 
 to the Papal chair under the name of Beijedicb XIII.— , 
 addressed a homily to his flock on the subject of St. 
 Patrick’s Purgatory. Having already freely quoted from 
 that masterly address, I shall here rest content by giving 
 the words of the learned He Burgo in reference to it. 
 That eminent prelate in hi?, Hibernia Dominicana (p. 5,) 
 thus speaks of it:—‘‘ De eo sermoneni habait ad popu- 
 lum, ut one meonini Romoe inter seronooies suos typis 
 vulgatos legisse” i.e., “Upon it” (viz. St. Patrick’s 
 Purgatory), “ he addressed a sermon to his flock, which 
 at Rome I remember to have read amongst his published 
 addresses.” 
 
 Thomas de Burgo himself visited St. Patrick’s Purga¬ 
 tory in the year 1748, and in his Hibernia Dominicana 
 gives us his impressions of it:—“So great,” he says, “are 
 the penitential deeds performed there, that they exceed 
 in my opinion those of any other pilgrimage in the 
 world.” He says that the place was called Purgatory 
 on account of the severity of its penitential exercises. 
 
 Locus ille luendis peccatorum pcenis destinatus pur- 
 gatoriuon dicitur, non quidem posthumuon, sed vitale 
 sen viatoonum in poo^cesenti vita!^ And he adds:— 
 “ I do not relate mere matters of hearsay, but what I 
 have witnessed with my own eyes; for, I had the great 
 happiness to visit in the year 1748 that island, which was 
 consecrated by the presence and the miracles of the most 
 holy Patrick, and w^hich still affords an illustrious example 
 of the austere penances of the primitive ages of the 
 Church.” {Hib. Dooninicana, p. 4, et seq) He says that 
 each pilgrim repeats daily the Lord’s Prayer and the 
 Angelical Salutation nearly three hundred times, the 
 Apostles’ Creed about one hundred times, together with 
 the entire Rosary of the Blessed Virgin three times. He 
 
LOUGH JDERG. 
 
 169 
 
 further adds that each pilgrim, in performing the rounds 
 of his station, travelled over a distance of two miles. 
 
 For over one hundred and fifty years the only guide to 
 the devotional exercises of this pilgrimage was a little 
 handbook with the following title—‘‘The Pilgrimage of 
 Lough Derg, by B.D.” It was published in several places, 
 among the rest in Belfast, in 8vo, in 1726, in Dublin, in 
 16mo, in 1752, and in Strabane in 1820. Its circulation 
 was very extensive, and until recently copies of it could 
 be had each season on Station Island. The authorship of 
 this manual of the Station devotions remained unknown, 
 at least to me, until I fortunately met with the late Very 
 Bev. B. T. Bussell, D.D., at that time (1879,) Prior of 
 the Dominican Convent, Dundalk, who unravelled the 
 mystery by referring me to De Burge’s Hih. Dominicana, 
 where the life of “ B.D.” is succinctly given. The better 
 to escape the danger of detection, that devoted missionary 
 transposed the initials of his name, “ B.D.,” which should 
 be “D.B.,” i.e. Dominick Brullanghan, or Bradley, a name 
 yet not uncommon in Derry and Innishowen. De Burgo 
 gives us the following notice of his life:— 
 
 “Fr. Dominick Brullanghan was an alumnus of the Con¬ 
 vent of Coleraine. He was uncle by the father’s side to 
 Patrick Brullanghan, bishop of Derry. Having completed 
 his course of studies with great credit in the College of Holy 
 Cross at Louvain, he returned to Ulster, where, during a long 
 series of years, he zealously discharged missionary duty. 
 Being second to none as a preacher in that province, he reaped 
 a large harvest of souls for Christ; and for that reason he was 
 deservedly raised to the title of Master in Theology. At 
 length, worn out with years and toil, he closed his career in 
 his native county of Derry, anno 1746. He paid frequent 
 visits to the Island of Lough Derg (Lactis Buhri), consecrated 
 by the penances and miracles of St. Patrick, and for that 
 
170 
 
 8T. PATKICK’S PURGA'JOKY. 
 
 cause is it named St. Patrick’s Purgatory. Here he often 
 preached to the people, and when he found that the faithful 
 were not well informed regarding that holy place, and of the 
 method of performing the pilgrimage, which is, I must say, 
 the most arduous in the whole world, he published a little 
 book, whose title in English is—‘The Pilgrimage of Lough 
 Derg, by B.D.’ ” 
 
 Some time before this, the exact year is not recorded, 
 another distinguished Irishman came here on pilgrimage. 
 This was no less a personage than Turlough O’Carolan, 
 “ Last of the Bards,”— 
 
 “ Who erst our halls with melody did fill.” * 
 
 The remains of O’Carolan (as stated in Hardiman’s 
 Minstrelsy) await the final resurrection in Kilronan, the 
 church of the Duigenan family, in MacDermott Roe’s 
 vault. In his youth he became intimately acquainted 
 with one Bridget Cruise, but he afterwards married Mary 
 Maguire, of the Maguires of Tempo, once a noble and 
 powerful family, but long deprived of their ancestral 
 possessions. The well-authenticated tradition still lives 
 at Lough Derg, how O’Carolan, when old and blind, 
 occupied the pilgrims’ boat on his return from the island. 
 At the landing-place a number of pilgrims were eager 
 to offer their services to the helpless one to land. 
 O’Carolan no sooner touched a hand stretched out to 
 guide him, than he paused and exclaimed, “ This is the 
 hand of Bridget Cruise.” f On this subject the late 
 Samuel Lover has written a charming song, sung to the 
 sweetest of airs, and entitled “ Carolan and Bridget Cruise.” 
 
 * For ail account of his last resting-place see The Legend oj KilronaUf 
 by “ Lageniensis” (Dublin, 1877). 
 
 t The story will be found fully told in Hayes’ Balladn of Ireland, 
 vol. 2, p. 27, head-note to Samuel Lovers Song on O’Carolan. 
 
LOUGH DERG. 
 
 171 
 
 Thomas D’Arcy M‘Gee in his poem on The Death of 
 Garolan, pays the following touching tribute to his 
 memory:— 
 
 “ Last of our ancient Minstrels! those who lent 
 A buoyant motive to a suffering race, 
 
 Whose saving song, into their being blent, 
 
 ♦ 
 
 Sustained them by its passion and its grace, 
 
 God rest you ! may your judgment dues be light, 
 
 Dear Turlough ! and the purgatorial days 
 Be few and short, till cloth’d in holy white, 
 
 Your soul may come before the Throne of rays.” 
 
172 
 
 ST. PATRICK’S PURGATORY. 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 EIGHTEENTH CENTURY INSCRIPTIONS ON STATION ISLAND— 
 VOTIVE GIFTS TO ITS SANCTUARY—ST. PATRICK’S CHURCH 
 REPLACES THE CAVE—BOAT ACCIDENTS, ESPECIALLY THAT 
 OF 1795—PRIOR MURRAY—REVIEW OF THE PILGRIMAGE 
 DURING THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY. 
 
 EFERENCE has already been made to the 
 inscribed stones, set for preservation in 
 the southern gable of St. Patrick’s Church 
 on Station Island. Two of them, described 
 at pages 55 and 57 of this work, bear the 
 name of a Franciscan Friar, named Father 
 Magrath, who, we may conjecture, was prior 
 here in 1753. Those stones formerly marked the centre 
 of two of the penal “beds” or circles, where crucifixes are 
 now fixed; but, for their better preservation, they were 
 placed in their present position. Side by side with them 
 in the same wall is that ancient inscribed stone bearing 
 the legend ‘‘ OR MECI.” In addition may be seen there 
 another inscribed stone, having sculptured in relief on its 
 face a cross, also a stag with branching antlers, which 
 latter forms the heraldic device or arms of the O’Doherty 
 family, and underneath the inscription :— 
 
 “ YS HOUSE 
 
 was built Fr. Anth ; Do 
 herty for ye use of 
 ye Conv: of Donegal 
 his age 68 ye 8 Sep: 
 
 A.D. 1763.” 
 
LOUGH DERG. 
 
 173 
 
 From the above inscription we may reasonably infer 
 that Father Anthony O’Doherty of the Seraphic Order 
 was prior here not only at the date mentioned, 1763, but 
 also for many years about that period. From that iater- 
 estiog South-Westerifi Donegal, we learn that 
 
 this friar had in his possession one of the silver chalices 
 formerly belonging to the Donegal Convent, where, as 
 appears from Father Purcell’s account, given in Meehan’s 
 Franciscan Monasteries, there were sixteen silver 
 chalices, all of which, two excepted, were washed with 
 gold.” On the chalice in question is the following 
 inscription:— 
 
 “Fr. Ants. O'Doherty, S.T.D. procumvit 
 Hunc Gaticem pro usufratrum minorum 
 Sanctae nostrae fraternitatis 
 Convenes DongatiensisJ’ 
 
 As the Donegal Convent at this time supplied a large 
 proportion of the priests who ministered to the Lough Derg 
 pilgrims, we may infer that they brought with them each 
 season the necessary vestments and altar plate, and hence 
 we may take it that the chalice referred to had been used 
 in the celebration of the Divine Mysteries on Lough Derg. 
 In 1850 it was taken to America by the Kev. John 
 Donnelly, whose native place adjoined the ancient church¬ 
 yard of Aghalurcher, in Fermanagh. At his death it 
 came into the possession of Rev. Edward McGowan of 
 Penn Yann, who presented it to Monsignor Stephens of 
 Killybegs, the author of the handbook above named. 
 
 Another of the Lough Derg chalices is that long pre¬ 
 served in use at Corduff chapel, parish of Carrickmacross. 
 It was a votive offering made to the sanctuary of Lough 
 Derg by a lady, named Clara Nugent, alias Cusack, of 
 Carlanstown, in the county of Meath. She was closely 
 
174 
 
 ST. patkick’s pukgatory. 
 
 related to Dr. Thomas Dease, Bishop of Meath, whose 
 mother was Lady Eleanor Nugent, of Carlanstown, a 
 branch of the noble family of Delvin. How this chalice 
 found its way to Corduff I cannot say, if it be not that the 
 altar plate of Lough Derg was removed for better security, 
 at the close of each station, to the episcopal residence, 
 during the time when three of the bishops of Clogher 
 found a secure abode within the faithful territory, or 
 “Dominion,” of Farney. This small silver chalice is of 
 great beauty of workmanship, chaste in design, and of very 
 graceful proportions. Its measurements are—Height, 
 6| in.; diameter of cup, 2f in.; pedestal, 3f in. in diameter. 
 On the upper part of the pedestal of this chalice a crucifix 
 is inscribed; underneath it the following legend :— 
 
 “ Clara Nugent^ als. Cusack de Carlanstoim, pro Loghdarig me 
 fieri fecit^ 1721^ 
 
 On the outside of the cup is inscribed indistinctly a 
 harp, also a harp with crown. On the principle that res 
 clamat domino^ we venture to express a hope that these 
 chalices may again be restored to the sanctuary of Lough 
 Derg. 
 
 There are two other chalices at Lough Derg, which 
 also deserve notice. They were the gift of a pious lady, 
 Mrs. E. Kent, and though the year in which they were 
 bestowed on this sanctuary is not named, yet the style of 
 the inscriptions would show that they belong to the latter 
 half of the last century. The inscription of chalice No. 1 
 runs thus:— 
 
 “ Dedicated in Honr. of God 
 For our Blessed Lady’s Chappie Loughdarrig; 
 pray for ye givers predecessors 
 husbands and posty. 
 
 E. Kent.”* 
 
 * No. 1 chalice was for many years inissing at Lough Derg, and all 
 
LOUGH DERG. 
 
 175 
 
 No. 2 chalice bears the following inscription :— 
 
 “Dedicated in honr. of God for St. 
 
 Patrk’s Chappie Loughdarrig; pray for ye 
 givers predecessors 
 
 husbands and posty. 
 
 E. Kent.” 
 
 No. 1 is marked on inside of pedestal “ 12. 16.”—and 
 No. 2, “ 12. 19.” which probably signifies their weight. 
 
 During the summer of 1878 another inscribed stone 
 was discovered in the floor of one of the lodging houses on 
 the island, and for its preservation, it, too, was set in the 
 wall of St. Patrick’s Church. Its inscription reads:— 
 
 '‘Permissu Superioi'um, 
 
 Pro publico hono conditoris, 
 
 Antojiius O'Flaherty. 
 
 A.D. 1763.” 
 
 This Anthony O’Flaherty* * was a descendant of the lord ly 
 
 trace of it was supposed to be lost, when fortunately it was discovered 
 in the County Derry, and restored to the island. On being returned 
 it was found very much crushed and injured. Both have been lately 
 repaired and regilt at the instance of the Most Rev. Dr. Donnelly. 
 
 * Mr. John Duffy from the district of Castlederg supplied the 
 following information on Station Island, 9th August, 1880 :— 
 
 ‘ ‘ Anthony was one of four brothers, two of whom entered the Church. 
 The names of the latter were Neil and Michael, and they laboured for 
 many years in the vineyard of the Lord in the parishes respectively of 
 Termonamongan and Donaghmore. John, commonly called Manasses 
 John, was a farmer, whilst Anthony adopted the profession of an 
 architect; and in that capacity superintended the erection of many of 
 the churches in this part of Ulster, which were, in those primitive 
 days of architecture in this country, regarded as models of excellence. 
 As he was so engaged in 1763 it scarcely admits of a doubt that he is 
 the ‘ Gonditor'’ mentioned on the slab. I would be inclined to believe 
 that ‘ Conditor ’ in this case means either the architect, or contractor, 
 rather than the person who built the church at his own expense. A 
 son of this Anthony, a centenarian, still lives in Ballybofey, and other 
 relatives of his live in Aughyarren.” 
 
176 
 
 ST. patkick’s purgatory. 
 
 family of the O’Fiahertys of H-Iar Coimauglit, who in 
 the days of their power were benefactors of many a church 
 and cloister. His immediate ancestors had settled in the 
 parish of Termonamongan, to which parish he also be¬ 
 longed. It is evident he co-operated with the Prior, 
 Father O’Doherty, in the erection of buildings on the 
 island; and in requital for his services permission was 
 f^iven him to erect the above date-stone. What the 
 buildings then erected were I cannot with any degree of 
 certainty say. One of them in all likelihood was St. 
 Mary’s Church, which was replaced over fifty years later 
 by a new structure. To this conclusion I am mainly led 
 by a Map or Plan of the Island, and of St. Patrick’s 
 Purgatory, which I find in the Antiquities of Ireland, 
 by Edward Ledwich (Dublin, 1790). Here we find ‘‘ the 
 church, or monastery,” marked near the site of the present 
 St. Mary’s, but reaching more westerly. The date-stone 
 of that old church was found in the walls of St. Mary’s^ 
 taken down in 1870, to make room for the neat Guthic 
 edifice, which now graces its site. The inscription, from 
 which unfortunately the year is missing, certainly belongs 
 to the last centurj/. It may be seen in the gable of St. 
 Patrick’s ; and it reads :— 
 
 “THIS CHAP: 
 
 WAS HEDI 
 GATED TO 
 Ye ; B: V:M: 
 
 OF ANGELS 
 & CONSECO. 
 
 JULY Ye 20.” 
 
 Clearly the church, of which the above was the date- 
 stone, was erected by the Franciscan friars, as the title 
 “ Blessed Virgin Mar}^ of Angels” has been always one of 
 their favourite church names. Our conjecture is that the 
 
LOUGH DERG. 
 
 177 
 
 above inscription was the titulus of the church erected by 
 Friar Anthony O’Doherty; and that the stone first noticed 
 in this chapter was erected in a wing attached to the 
 church, and used as a dwelling by the officiating clergy¬ 
 men ; whilst the inscription commemorating Anthony 
 O’Flaherty may have marked an oratory or chapel raised 
 by him over ‘‘ St. Patrick’s Altar,”* which, according to 
 H ewson and others, stood at the northern end of Station 
 Island. 
 
 The purgatorial cave down to the year 1780 was, accord¬ 
 ing to Richardson, “10 feet distant from the church; it 
 was 22 feet long, 2 feet 1 inch wide, and 3 feet high. It 
 hath a bending within six feet of the far end, where there 
 is a very small window, or spike-hole, to let in some light 
 and air to the pilgrims that are shut up in it. There is 
 little or none of it under ground, and it seems never to 
 have been sunk deeper than the rock. It is built of stone 
 and clay, huddled together, covered with broad stones, and 
 all overlaid with earth.” This cave was closed up about 
 the year 1780 f by the prior, who considered it insufficient 
 for the number of persons who sought admission to it. A 
 new church, 72 feet long by 24 wide, called St. Patrick’s 
 Church, or “ Prison Chapel,” so called from the fact that 
 it was intended to supersede and serve the purpose of the 
 ancient purgatorial cave, was built about that time. 
 
 In 1776 this church was re-roofed and slated by the 
 then prior, Father Murray. With the exception of the 
 following additions and repairs, it is still substantially the 
 same church as that erected in 1780. The Rev. Patrick 
 Moyna added an aisle to it in 1835. In 1860 Rev. John 
 
 * It is called by Richardson the “Altar of Confession.” 
 
 t The “Gazetteer of Ireland” referring to the Cave, says, “it was 
 closed by Pope Alexander, by the Government in 1632, it was again 
 opened in the reign of James II., and closed in 1780.” 
 
 M 
 
178 
 
 ST. Patrick’s purgatory. 
 
 M‘Kentia (now Canon M‘Kenna, P.P., Pettigo,) remodelled 
 it internally; and besides other very necessary improve¬ 
 ments, he removed its galleries, which were approached by 
 stone steps from the outside of the gables. Further ex¬ 
 tensive and substantial improvements and repairs were 
 effected to it during the summer of 1878 by the present 
 venerated Prior, Very Rev. Canon James McKenna, P.P., 
 Aughavea, at a cost of £200. 
 
 During settled weather Lough Derg wears an aspect 
 pleasing in the extreme. At times its waters lie hushed 
 as if in sleep, and not a ripple disturbs its placid surface. 
 Under such tranquil repose have I witnessed it at early 
 morning in the beginning of August, 1876. The morning 
 was exceptionally beautiful, the air fresh and clear, the 
 sun reddening with his rising beams the mountains en¬ 
 circling the lake. Through the air rustled an indescribable 
 harmony, as if all the fishes in the lake were chanting in 
 chorus their matin melody. The crowing of chanticleer at 
 some distant farmhouse anon broke like bugle-note upon 
 the ear; and the whir of the moor-fowl through the heath 
 also imparted life and variety to a scene unique and 
 charming. Such solemn and impressive scenes* are not 
 of rare incidence at Lough Derg; and they are well calcu¬ 
 lated to make deep and vivid impressions on the memory. 
 
 But though Lough Derg not rarely reveals itself 
 
 * A sunset on Lough Derg, under favourable eircumstances, is, also, a 
 spectacle of extraordinary grandeur. Such a sight have I witnessed 
 from Station Island on 22nd July, 1878, between 8 and 9 o’clock, as the 
 sun was going down behind Croagh-Breac. Its reflection in the lake 
 looked like a massive pillar of gold, having its apex in Upper Lough 
 Derg, and reaching down through the channel between Saints’ Island 
 and the mainland more than midway to Station Island. One might 
 well imagine it to be the golden portal to some bright realm. The 
 sight was one my companion had never before witnessed during his 
 twenty-five years’ connection with the place. 
 
LOUGH DERG. 
 
 179 
 
 in such mild guise, it more frequently betrays a sterner 
 mood, and lashes its well-worn shores in angry fashion. 
 At times, indeed, does the tempest toss its waves in such 
 fury, that we must regard it as due to a merciful Provi¬ 
 dence that more accidents have not occurred there; and 
 this more particularly when we take into account not only 
 the propinquity of the Atlantic, but eight or ten miles 
 west of it, and the elevated and mountainous situation of 
 the lake itself, but, also, the frail kind of craft which in 
 bygone days used to ply upon its waters. During the 
 time the religious establishment stood on Saints’ Island no 
 tradition survives of any boat accident having occurred, 
 though the barks then in use were frail canoe-shaped 
 boats, formed out of a hollowed tree, or coracles, covered 
 with hides or canvas, such as are still in use on many of 
 the islands off the coast of Ireland. 
 
 It is handed down that many years ago two priests 
 went for a sail in a boat of this sort, and when but a short 
 distance south of Station Island, where there is a round 
 rock hidden under water (since called the “ Priests’ Rock ”), 
 the boat capsized, and its occupants were drowned. This 
 is said to have been the first boat accident on Lough Derg. 
 
 Over sixty years since a second boat was lost between 
 Saints’ Island and the river Fluchlynn. The boatman, 
 one Doherty from Aughkeen, was returning, in company 
 with two or three others, from Kelly’s Islands, in the 
 month of March, when the boat, which was small and 
 unsafe, capsized some distance from land, and all met 
 with a watery grave, not even Doherty, skilful swimmer 
 though he was, being able to escape. This sad accident 
 inspired the muse of a local poetaster, who commemorated 
 the event in a mournful lay, still sung in the locality. 
 
 But the most lamentable accident of all happened here 
 in 1795, a catastrophe which for many years cast a gloom 
 
180 
 
 ST. Patrick’s purgatory. 
 
 over the place, and the recital of which to this day fails 
 not to evoke from the pious pilgrims many a tear and 
 prayer for those who met with such an untimely end. 
 Sunday, 12th of July, 1795,^ is a day long to be remem¬ 
 bered in connexion with Lough Derg. On that morning, 
 which set in fresh and breezy, but by no means stormy, 
 there was from an early hour the usual hurry and bustle 
 about the “cabin,” or ferryhouse, amongst pilgrims and 
 some of the neighbouring mountain residents, who were 
 anxious to hear Mass on the island. A few boats had 
 already taken their full complement of passengers to and 
 fro, when the hour of eleven o’clock (the time at which the 
 ill-fated boat left the ferry-quay for the island,) arrived. 
 Johnston, the ferryman, had already allotted places to 
 ninety-three passengers, all told, most of whom were 
 pilgrims. It is said that some of the passengers took 
 exception to the boat as being old and leaky, but their 
 fears were made light of. A fortunate escape is related of 
 a young man, a pilgrim, who had actually taken his seat in 
 the boat, when his father summoned him back, as he had 
 dreamt the previous night of some terrible fate about to 
 befall his son, followed him to the lake, and thus saved 
 him from certain death. 
 
 At the hour named, MacTeague, the principal boatman 
 (who is said to have been under the influence of drink at 
 the time), put off from shore, and all went well until they 
 came alongside Friars’ Island. It was then noticed that 
 the boat had sprung a leak, and was fast taking in water. 
 
 The boatmen paid little heed to this, thinking they 
 
 * The Belfast News-Letter of 1796 has it:—“A very melancholy 
 accident happened in this kingdom in July last. A large boat contain¬ 
 ing 72 pilgrims was upset, only 2 saved out of all.” I prefer taking the 
 account given by the people of the locality, some of whom were eye¬ 
 witnesses, as to the numbers lost and saved. 
 
LOUGH DERG. 
 
 181 
 
 could make Station Island without any difficulty. As they 
 reached, however, about midway between Friars’ Island 
 and Station Island, the water was fast gaining on the boat, 
 to the alarm of the passengers, who became restive and 
 uncontrollable. In the confusion and dismay that followed 
 the boat capsized, and went down in about ten feet of 
 water. Station Island, but especially the little wharf, or 
 landing-place, was at the time crowded with spectators, 
 who were so thunderstruck by the accident that they had 
 not presence of mind to push off to the rescue, though a 
 boat or two were within their reach, and though a dozen 
 strokes of the oar might have brought a relief party to the 
 rescue. If this had been done, many of the victims might 
 have been saved. It is consoling to record that one of the 
 priests then on the island ran to the shore and gave con¬ 
 ditional absolution to those drowning, repeating aloud the 
 formula of the same. 
 
 A few moments after the capsizing of the boat, a large 
 mass of human beings, having grasped each other in the 
 water with the tenacity of death, came to the surface, 
 where they remained struggling for a little time, when 
 they sank to rise no more. Out of the ninety-three 
 passengers but three, and those three pilgrims, escaped. 
 The boatmen were also lost, as well as those from the 
 neighbourhood, who were going to hear Mass on the 
 island. 
 
 The priests then on the island offered up Masses for the 
 souls of the deceased; and Prior Murray, in a funeral 
 address on the occasion, is stated to have declared that, 
 had the accident happened on the return of the pilgrims 
 from the island, more grounds for consolation would have 
 been left to their bereaved and sorrowing relatives. 
 
 At the time the accident occurred, it is said Johnston, 
 the ferryman, was engaged in giving tickets at the ferry- 
 
182 
 
 ST. Patrick’s purgatory. 
 
 house to a fresh batch of arrivals. He is reported to have 
 made light of the matter, and to have said that it would 
 by no means prevent the Station from proceeding as usual. 
 
 All the bodies of those drowned were recovered from 
 their watery grave. Many of them were removed by their 
 sorrowing friends to their family burial places. About 
 twenty or more were interred on the highest part of Friars’ 
 Island, where a dense cluster of firs may now be seen 
 waving their sombre plumes over their lonely grave. 
 Others were buried in Templecarne graveyard, especially 
 those who belonged to the locality. The sight of the dead 
 bodies, as they were conveyed for sepulture over the 
 mountain district, was most heartrending, and they who 
 witnessed the spectacle (with some of whom I conversed), 
 could never after refer to it without shudderinsc at the 
 thought, and shedding copious tears. 
 
 We have seen that the old cave, or caves (there being 
 at times two or more of them) were superseded about the 
 year 1780, by a commodious church called St. Patrick’s, 
 which was erected not only to serve the purpose of the 
 former Caverna^ but also for general worship. Who 
 built this church I do not well know unless it be the Rev. 
 Fr. Murray P.P., ErrigakTruagh, who about this period 
 became prior in room of the Franciscans, whose reduced 
 numbers rendered them no longer equal to the work of 
 the pilgrimage. Whether the church was erected by prior 
 Murray, or not, it is certain that he repaired and slated it 
 in 1776, the year after the boat accident. He is described 
 as of a mild and gentle disposition, and with the close of 
 the century his term of office as prior of the pilgrimage 
 drew also to its close. 
 
 Towards the latter part of the eighteenth century the 
 course of the penitential austerities practised at Lough 
 Derg became considerably modified. The period of a 
 
LOUGH DERG. 
 
 183 
 
 Station, which formerly occupied nine, or at least six days, 
 was now reduced to three days ; though cases are even yet 
 not unfrequent where pilgrims remain on the island for 
 six, or even nine days, repeating meanwhile the Station” 
 for different intentions. Besides, since the erection of 
 St. Patrick’s Church, confinement in this, the prison” 
 chapel, is not so rigidly enforced as was the incarceration in 
 the ‘‘Cave” previously existing ; although its duration still 
 extends to twenty-four hours, i.e. from 6 p.m. of the first 
 day to 6 p.m. of the next day, during which a strict vigil 
 is to be kept. 
 
 Hewson says that in his time (1701), “There were 
 many priests on the island, and each day they have a 
 sermon preached in Irish about one o’clock.” Bichardson 
 (1727) says there were twenty-four priests engaged there 
 every station season. But this may be an exaggeration. 
 Skelton says that in 1770 there were about 4,000 pilgrims 
 annually frequenting this sanctuary; and he states that 
 the pilgrims had then sufficient shelter and accommodation 
 on the island. Immediately before the boat accident of 
 1795 the arrivals each season must have reached the high 
 figure of between ten and fifteen thousand. That catas¬ 
 trophe, however, with other circumstances to be noticed 
 hereafter, caused the influx of the pilgrims at the close 
 of the century to become considerably reduced. Yet 
 through all its vicissitudes the Holy Island still continued 
 to be regarded with love and veneration by those of the 
 Irish race, who, like our national poet, Moore, desired to 
 visit 
 
 “ That dim lake, 
 
 Where sinful souls their farewell take 
 
 Of this vain world, and half-way lie 
 
 In death’s cold shadow ere they die.” 
 
184 
 
 ST. Patrick’s purgatory. 
 
 CHAPTER XVL 
 
 THE PILGRIM TAX—THE FERRYMEN—MOST REV. DR. MURPHY’S 
 REGULATIONS FOR THE PILGRIMAGE—RESCRIPT FROM ROME 
 —ST. MARY’S CHURCH—THE PRESBYTERY—HOSTILE NOTICES 
 OF THE PILGRIMAGK—PRIORS SINCE THE YEAR 1800— 
 INFLUX OF PILGRIMS—T. D. M'GEE’S POEM, “ LOUGH DERG.” 
 
 F the remuants of the feudal or penal laws, 
 the tax, or tariff, which each Lough Derg 
 H pilgrim must pay to the “lord of the 
 soil,” is perhaps the most indefensible. Not 
 content with the possession of the lands 
 given as a perpetual endowment to this sanctu¬ 
 ary, and of which it held undisputed ownership 
 for over a thousand years, the Protestant bishops of 
 Clogher, after doing their utmost (and failing,) to put a 
 stop to the pilgrimage, conceived the idea of turning it to 
 profitable account by exacting from each pilgrim a fine 
 for liberty to approach the shrine of his devotion. 
 
 * We take the following strictures from writers hostile to the 
 pilgrimage. J. B. Doyle’s Tour in Ulster (Dublin, 1854) has it:—“ The 
 lake is situated upon the estate of Mr. Leslie of Glasslough, County 
 Monaghan, who derives £200 per year for the right of ferry. It has 
 proved a profitable investment to those who have farmed it.” And 
 Barrow’s Tour Round Ireland in 1835 thus comments :—“ But what is 
 to be said of the proprietor, who raises a revenue of £200 or £300 a 
 year by renting this spot ? Does he never consider when he looks upon 
 the objects that flock to this place from the extreme parts of the 
 island, what pain and misery they undergo in their long journey ? 
 If he does, I should think the revenue he derives from such a source 
 cannot afford him much gratification.” 
 
LOUGH DERG. 
 
 185 
 
 The more easily and effectively to collect this pilgrim 
 tax, the ferry was rented at a fixed annual sum to a ferry¬ 
 man, who, after paying the landlord the stipulated amount, 
 had to depend on the balance of the proceeds for his own 
 behalf. The rent of the ferry generally rose or fell 
 according to the number of pilgrims visiting the island ; 
 so that from the amount of rent imposed each year we 
 might form a proximate estimate of the number of 
 arrivals. 
 
 Towards the close of the last century a Protestant 
 family, named Johnston, rented the ferry at £250 each 
 year. About the beginning of this century one of those 
 Johnstons, as we shall see, gave great dissatisfaction. 
 After him a ferryman named Travers managed the ferry 
 for about ten years.. Next came Robert Johnston, who 
 rented it down to 1844. At this time Catholic ferrymen 
 came into office, the first of whom was Daniel Campbell, 
 who conducted the ferry in the year 1845. He was 
 succeeded by his son, John Campbell. It was he who 
 built the present ferryhouse, and also commenced the 
 erection of a large inn on the island, which, however, was 
 never completed. It next reverted to his brother, Peter 
 Campbell; then to his brother, William, who held it down 
 to the year 1862-3, when Thomas Flood of Pettigo got 
 charge of it. He held it until 1876, when his brother 
 Patrick (the present ferryman) secured his right in the 
 ferry. The rent of the ferry was reduced for the 
 Campbells to £150; and since then it has been still 
 further reduced to £50, which is its present rent, yearly 
 payable to the owner of Termon-Dabheoc, Sir John 
 Leslie, Bart. 
 
 In order to make up the rent, a fine of 6Jd. was 
 formerly imposed on each pilgrim for the “ right of way ” 
 to the island. Within living memory that charge of 6Jd, 
 
186 
 
 ST. patkick’s purgatory. 
 
 was never deviated from, down to the year 1868. In 
 that year Thomas Flood, predecessor of the present ferry¬ 
 man, in view of two or three bad seasons, instead of 
 applying to the landlord for a reduction in the ferry rent, 
 waited upon the bishop of the diocese, requesting an 
 increase in the charge for the ferry ticket, from 6Jd. to 8d. 
 After weighing all the circumstances, the bishop deemed 
 the application not unreasonable,* and to this day the 
 charge for the ferry passage to and from the island 
 remains at 8d. per ticket. 
 
 In May, 1778, Dr. James Murphy was appointed 
 Coadjutor Bishop of Clogher, and on the death of Bishop 
 Hugh O’Reilly (November 3rd, 1801), he succeeded to the 
 mitre of Clogher per Goadjutorium. One of his first 
 cares was to look after the administration of the pilgrimage 
 of Lough Derg; and with that object he addressed a list 
 of regulations to the prior, Father Bellew, and his princi¬ 
 pal assistant, the Rev. Peter M‘Ginn. The document is 
 headed:—“ A few of the many regulations necessary for 
 the orderly administration of the Station of Lough Derg,” 
 and bears date, “ Tydavnet, May 26th, 1802.” This docu¬ 
 ment sets out with a regulation which for many years was 
 strictly enforced and adhered to, but which is now obsolete ; 
 and it is as follows :— 
 
 “ I hereby prohibit, under pain of suspension ipso facto, any 
 confessor, already approved, or who may be approved of this 
 season for Lough Derg, not excepting even the Prior himself, 
 to receive the confession, give the absolution, or admit to the 
 indulgence of the Station of Lough Derg, any pilgrim or 
 penitent who has not complied with his Easter duty this 
 year in his own parish, or who cannot produce a certificate 
 signed by his own parish priest, or ordinary confessor, per¬ 
 mitting him to be admitted to the benefit of said indulgence, 
 -though he has not complied with said Easter duty. 
 
LOUGH DERG. 
 
 187 
 
 “And further, I hereby order, under the same pain of 
 suspension, said certificate to be submitted to the Prior for 
 his approbation of its authenticity before the bearer of it is 
 admitted to confession,” etc. 
 
 After other regulations regarding investing the pilgrims 
 with cords, scapulars, and other religious badges ; also with 
 regard to the selling or blessing of such religious badges, 
 etc., and likewise regarding the allocation and discharging 
 of intentions for Masses received on the island, occurs the 
 following regulation:— 
 
 “Fourthly—This regulation regards the teaching of the 
 Catechism on the Island of Lough Derg.” 
 
 And the communication thus concludes:—• 
 
 “As these, however, or any other regulations that may be 
 adopted, must prove useless if the Messrs. Johnston and their 
 boatmen persevere in their monopolies and in their severities 
 towards the clergy and stationers, you will take care to speak 
 to and settle matters with them if you can; otherwise suspend 
 the station instankr.’* 
 
 What the particular severities and monopolies here 
 complained of against the Johnstons were, I have not 
 learned; but I heard that they established “ patterns” at 
 the shore of the lake, where music, dancing, and drinking 
 were introduced, thus tending to bring the place into dis¬ 
 repute, and causing great annoyance and scandal. Father 
 Bellew, however, grappled at once with the difficulty, put 
 a stop to those “ patterns,” and by his energy and prudence 
 upheld the discipline and order of the pilgrimage. Unlike 
 the first of those Johnstons, who was so harsh and severe 
 towards the pilgrims, and who is said to have admitted to 
 the island all visitors indiscriminately, against the orders 
 
188 
 
 ST. patkick’s purgatory. 
 
 » 
 
 and remonstrances of the prior, the last of the Johnston 
 ferrymen, namely Robert Johnston, was both courteous 
 towards the pilgrims and amenable to the wishes of the 
 prior. 
 
 With regard to the admission of visitors, the rule at 
 present observed is—that visitors be furnished with written 
 permission from the prior before the ferryman is at liberty 
 to land them on the island. The reasonableness of the 
 rule will be apparent to all when they consider how limited 
 is the area of the island,' how much both priests and pil¬ 
 grims are occupied with their respective duties, and how 
 much frequent visits of that sort might tend to interrupt 
 and distract the devotional exercises of the pilgrims. 
 
 One of Dr. Murphy’s regulations, as we have seen, 
 enjoined the teaching of the Catechism on the island. 
 For that purpose two catechists were retained here for 
 many years, one of whom taught the Irish Catechism, the 
 other the English Catechism. Besides instructing the 
 rude and illiterate in their Christian doctrine, they lent 
 valuable aid to the clergy in helping to prepare and 
 dispose the pilgrims for the sacraments. In addition to 
 these were the Prior’s Clerk, and also the Director of 
 Devotions, whose special duty it was to maintain order 
 during the night of the “ prison,” or vigil. 
 
 Early in the year 1805 Bishop Murphy applied to the 
 Holy See for a renewal of the usual faculties and indul¬ 
 gences vouchsafed to this pilgrimage, to be available for 
 the space of fifteen years. Cardinal Jugnani, Secretary of 
 the Sacred Office, sent a rescript to Dr. Murphy, bearing 
 date the 16th March, 1805, and bearing likewise the 
 signature of Dominicus Archiepus Myran. Secretarius. 
 From this we subjoin the extracts bearing on our 
 subject:— 
 
 “ Tam vero supplicem lihellum Amplitudinis tuce nomine 
 
LOUGH DERG. 
 
 189 ' 
 
 K. F. Magister Lucas Concanen,^ Ordinis Fraedicatorum, ad nos 
 detulif, quo postulabas, ut indulgenticc ad quindenniimi pro station- 
 ibus peregrinafionis, qucB Fargatorimi Sti. Fatritii appellatw\ 
 impertitce, ad aliud quindennium renoventur. At quoniam in 
 Archivis hujusce S. Congregationis codicibus ejusmodi concessionis 
 indicium nullum repertum est, exemplum rescripti alias impdrati, 
 in quo dies, mensis, el annus concessionis adnotatus sit ad nos 
 mittere ne gravere, ut ad illius normain indulgentiarum renovatio- 
 nem obtinere valeamus. Eo exemplo eo magis indigemus, quod in 
 tua istius dioecesis relatione nobis significaveris, quibus conditionibus 
 indidgenticB acquirantur, non dissimulans ab aliquibus hujusmodi 
 pH exercitii praxim fuisse improbatam. Visum est etiam nobis 
 circuitiones quasdam, nisi probabiles earum causae afferantur, posse 
 jure meritoque notari; prceserlim cum non modo pedibus, sect cruri- 
 hus etiam nudis fieri in more sit positum ; quod si a fidelibus utrius- 
 que sexus fiat, timendum est ne aliquod inde scandalum oriatur. . . . 
 Quod si forte in ista Sti. Fatritii peregrinatione ejusmodi abusus 
 irrepserit, tuae partes erunt omni studio ac contentione eosdem 
 eliminare ne mala potius quam bona a tali peregrinatione exori- 
 antur.'’ .... 
 
 From the foregoing rescript we can understand with 
 what vigilance the authorities in Rome had watched over 
 this sanctuary, and how the report (perhaps gratuitous 
 and groundless), which had reached them of the pilgrims 
 here making the circuits of the beds ’’ on their bare 
 knees, had been inquired after and corrected. After Dr. 
 Murphy had satisfied the Sacred Office with the required 
 information, the indulgences postulated for were granted. 
 And when the same bishop applied a second time in 
 1814 t for their renewal, they were also conceded, as we 
 
 * Father Luke Concanen, to whom reference is made in this rescript, 
 was the first Bishop of New York. When in Rome he acted as agent 
 to the Irish bishops, and lived in the Dominican convent attached to 
 the Church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva. 
 
 + In this connection it may not be out of place to give the following 
 
190 
 
 ST. PATRICK’S PURGATORY. 
 
 can infer from the form of postulation on that head, 
 presented to the Holy Father in 1870, a copy of which, 
 together with a copy of the Papal Indult, shall be given 
 later on. 
 
 The church erected by Father O’Doherty in 1763 was 
 taken down in 1813, and a new church, also called 
 St. Mary’s, erected a little to the east of it by the Pev. 
 Patrick Bellew, then prior, afterwards parish priest of 
 Monaghan and Dean of Clogher. In 1835 the Rev. 
 Prior Moyna, enlarged this church by the erection of an 
 aisle, the contractor for the improvements then effected 
 being the late Daniel Campbell, builder, Pettigo. This 
 church underwent additional repairs in 1860: and in 
 1870 it was found necessary to have it entirely taken 
 down, when it was replaced by a very substantial and 
 handsome Gothic edifice, erected through the exertions of 
 the present worthy prior. St. Mary’s, thus erected after 
 tbe design, and by the exertions of Canon M‘Kenna, and 
 solely with the aid of voluntary contributions of the 
 pilgrims, was dedicated in August, 1870, the year in 
 
 extract from the diary of Dr. Michael Blake, bishop of Dromore, as 
 found in a notice of his life from the pen of Rev. M. Russell, S.J., in 
 the h'ish Monthly for 1882:— 
 
 “ 1825, April 25.—I received to-day a letter from the Right Rev. 
 Dr. Kernan, dated Carrickmacross, April 5. In it he requests that I 
 apply to His Eminence Cardinal della Somaglia, for a continuance of 
 the indulgence granted to the Island of Lough Derg, to which hundreds 
 of Catholics flock every year with the express permission and approba¬ 
 tion of their respective pastors, and after having complied with their 
 Paschal duty, in order to do penance and make a retreat of three, six, 
 or nine days. The island being the property of a Colonel Leslie, M.P., 
 it is feared that, were the Station to be suspended for one year, he 
 would not allow access to it. The present superior of it is the Rev. 
 M. Bellew, the bishop’s Vicar-general and Dean of the Chapter of 
 Clogher, under whose superintendence it is morally impossible that 
 any abuse can happen. The Station commences on the 1st of June 
 and terminates on the 15th of August.” 
 
191 
 
 LOUGH DEEG. 
 
 which it was erected, by the Most Rev. Dr. Donnelly. To 
 those who have admired this pretty little church, with 
 the campanile and bell hard by, erected at the same time, 
 it will afford surprise that all cost but little over £500. 
 In St. Mary’s Church are located a number of confessionals, 
 where the officiating priests labour for the greater part of 
 each day in the sacred and sublime work of reconciling 
 sinners to God. To that sacred use and purpose the church 
 is almost entirely devoted. 
 
 The Presbytery, which was a substantially built and 
 commodious house, was erected by Prior Bellew in 1816. 
 It was afterwards, in 1860, considerably remodelled in¬ 
 ternally ; and finally, in 1864, it was in great part rebuilt 
 by the present Very Rev. Prior, at the cost of £164. 
 
 If it be a mark of the sanctity of a place to be made the 
 constant object of attack by heretical and infidel writers, 
 then surely must Lough Derg, independent of any other 
 reason, be regarded as very holy, inasmuch as never yet 
 was there an institution more bitterly and more persist¬ 
 ently assailed than this pilgrimage. Misrepresentation, 
 calumny, invective, ridicule, and all other artifices have 
 been employed against this retreat of Catholic piety. 
 Besides the many charges levelled against it, most of 
 which might with equal force be directed against any 
 Catholic practice or place of Catholic worship throughout 
 the world, Richardson, and others after him, have devised 
 a new and ingenious objection, showing the loss of time 
 and waste of money, both to the individual and to the 
 State, by the toleration of this pilgrimage. The objection 
 only shows with what spirit the enemies of pilgrimages 
 are inspired, who would, forsooth, make temporal concerns 
 of more paramount importance than those spiritual in¬ 
 terests, which the pious pilgrim so anxiously labours to 
 compass. 
 
192 
 
 ST. Patrick’s purgatory. 
 
 During the present century Lough Derg was resorted to 
 by writers of that class, whose object seemed to be none 
 other than to gratify the prejudices of the enemies of our 
 holy religion, by representing in the darkest colours this 
 time-honoured retreat. Principal amongst this class stand 
 the Bev. Caesar Otway, and his proMge, Carle ton.* 
 
 William Carleton himself had been in his early days an 
 aspirant to the priesthood. Being foiled in this, and failing 
 to obtain from Bishop Murphy an appointment to one of 
 the diocesan burses in College, he placed himself under 
 the patronage of Caesar Otway, and thenceforth devoted 
 his versatile talents to ridicule not only the foibles and 
 peculiarities of an untutored peasantry, but even the 
 religious customs and practices of Irish Catholics.l Born 
 in the townland of Kilnahussoge, parish of Clogher, in 
 1795, he came as a pilgrim to Lough Derg in 1820. Of 
 
 * The former in his Sketches in Donegal, the latter in his Lough Derg 
 Pilgrim. 
 
 i In relation to my strictures on Carleton in the first edition, published 
 in 1879, the following letter from the distinguished Maynooth x^ro- 
 fessor, the late Dr. Murray, will be of interest:— 
 
 “Clones, August 25th, 1879. 
 
 “ Dear F. O’Connor, 
 
 I on yesterday entirely forgot communicating some very in¬ 
 teresting information regarding William Carleton, and in reference to 
 tlie L. Derg tale—information of which I am now the only living 
 repository, having had it partly from his own lips, partly from his old 
 school-fellow, F. James Smith. There can be no doubt that grave 
 abuses existed in those old days. The great blemish in the tale is from 
 the ‘suppressio veri,' and the paragraphs written, not by Carleton 
 himself, but by C;esar Otway. I will, before you come to a second 
 edition, think of some way by which your censure of Carleton may be, 
 not withdrawn, but softened. 
 
 Yours faithfully, P. Murray.” 
 
 Unfortunately death called away the great Master before the infor¬ 
 mation could be obtained ; and, unless it can be found among his 
 posthumous papers, it is now beyond the hope of recovery. 
 
LOUGH DERG. 
 
 193 
 
 that journey he wrote a very ludicrous account in which 
 he himself figures as the Lough Derg Pilgrim. Csesar 
 Otway, it is averred, retouched the tale, supplied not only 
 its colouring, but much new matter, and had it published 
 at his own expense. 
 
 Another writer, Mr. Inglis, takes a most ultra-Protestant 
 view of the pilgrimage in his Journey throughout Ireland 
 in ISSIp. In a like strain writes Philip Dixon Hardy in 
 his Holy Wells of Ireland (Dublin, 1836), who by his 
 pencil not less than by his pen has left behind him a very 
 poor caricature of the place. Wright’s Saint Patricks 
 Purgatory (London, 1844), abounds in bigotry from begin¬ 
 ning to end. Similar was the tone of Barrow, Doyle, and 
 other tourists of a like class, who came here with precon¬ 
 ceived prejudices. 
 
 Of the notices of Lough Derg written by Protestants, 
 the account of it in Household Words for October, 1852, 
 is an honourable exception. At first it was surmised that 
 Charles Dickens had been the author of it, and that he 
 visited the island in person. The authorship of the article 
 is, however, now generally conceded to Allingham, the 
 poet. His description of the pilgrimage is impartial and 
 favourable; he praises Prior Moyna’s discourses as learned 
 and practical, and he bestows a fitting eulogium on the 
 deep piety and devotion of the pilgrims. 
 
 In the year 1829 Father Bellew was prior for the last 
 time. After him came Father Boylan, who subsequently 
 became P.P. of Enniskillen and Dean of Clogher. He held 
 the office of Prior for two years, and was succeeded in 1831 
 by the Bev. Patrick Moyna, who continued as prior for 
 about twenty-nine years. The Very Bev. Canon Edward 
 M‘Kenna, P.P., Dromore, succeeded Father Moyna in 
 1858, and, with but slight interruptions, administered the 
 office for twenty years. The Yery Bev. Canon James 
 
 N 
 
194 
 
 ST. PATRICK’S PURGATORY. 
 
 McKenna has now for many years worthily presided over 
 the pilgrimage as prior. 
 
 During the present century many illustrious pilgrims 
 and visitors have been to Lough Derg. Foremost amongst 
 them may be recorded the following prelates—Dr. Patrick 
 M^Getbigan, bishop of Paphoe; Dr. Durcan, bishop of 
 Achonry; Dr. MLoughlin, bishop of Derry; Dr. Kilduff, 
 bishop of Ardagb ; Most Pev. Daniel M‘Gettigan, Arch¬ 
 bishop of Armagh ; and in addition the successive bishops 
 of Clogher, in whose diocese the sanctuary is situated, 
 and who periodically made a canonical visitation of the 
 Island. Besides those distinguished prelates, a large 
 number of the clergy of Ireland, and not a few from other 
 countries also, have made during this century a pilgrimage 
 to Lough Derg, some even choosing it as the place of their 
 annual ecclesiastical retreat. Members, likewise, of the 
 various religious orders within the three kingdoms visit 
 this sanctuary time after time, and express their great 
 admiration, not only at the earnest piety and penitential 
 spirit evinced by the pilgrims, but also at the order, regu¬ 
 larity and efficiency with which the devotional exercises of 
 
 the Station are conducted. It mav interest our readers to 
 
 «/ 
 
 learn that, in 1875, Father Dalgairns, who under God was 
 instrumental in converting the Marquis of Pipon, came on 
 a visit to Lough Derg, and there caused prayers to be 
 offered up for the conversion of a distinguished statesman, 
 whose name, though not communicated by him, soon after 
 became known by the event. 
 
 The bright example of penance and humility, as shown 
 by those pious ecclesiastics, who passed through the curri¬ 
 culum of this Station, gave great edification to the lay 
 pilgrims, and conduced to swell the stream of arrivals at 
 this venerable shrine. During the first half of the present 
 century the number of pilgrims visiting Lough Derg far 
 
LOUGH DERG. 
 
 195 
 
 exceeded the average of recent years. From the year 
 1800 down to 1824 the average yearly number was about 
 10,000. The late Mr. Edward Nicholson of Beechhill, 
 Derry, assured me that on the occasion of his first visit in 
 1824 there were 1,100 pilgrims on the same night in 
 Prison’’Chapel. From various accounts we infer that 
 the number of pilgrims in 1824 must have exceeded 
 15,000. Mr. Inglis, in the Gazetteer of Ireland tells us 
 that in 1834 the number of arrivals reached a total of 
 19.000.* In the beginning of the famine years there 
 arrived in a single day the extraordinary number of 1,300 
 pilgrims, the greatest number of arrivals witnessed at 
 Lough Derg on any day within this century. And we are 
 told that during that year the total number of pilgrims 
 could not have been much under 30,000. In those years 
 from twelve to fifteen priests were daily engaged in hear¬ 
 ing the confession of the pilgrims, and attending to the 
 other Station duties. 
 
 Since 1846■[* there has been a gradual decline in the 
 arrivals each year down to 1870. For this falling off in 
 point of numbers various reasons can be assigned; fore¬ 
 most amongst these being the famine of ’47, the subse¬ 
 quent years of distress, and the consequent depopulation 
 of our country by famine, pestilence and emigration. 
 Another cause for the diminution may be the multiplied 
 facilities for missions and retreats throughout Ireland ; and 
 perhaps to some extent the lessened fervour of the faithful. 
 
 *. “I was assured that during the last year (1834) the number of 
 persons, who had taken what is called their ‘ rounds ’ at the Purgatory, 
 was between nineteen and twenty thousand.”—See Barrow’s Tour 
 Round Ireland. 
 
 t Very Rev. Canon James M‘Kenna informed me that in 1856, his 
 first year on the island, 10,000 pilgrims had made the Station ; and 
 seven Confessors were in attendance during that season. 
 
196 
 
 ST. PATRICK’S PURGATORY. 
 
 The suspension of the Station in 1860, while repairs were 
 being made to the churches on the island, the rebuilding 
 of St. Mary’s in 1870, and the subsequent buildings and 
 repairs executed within the Station period may have, 
 likewise, had some effect in diminishing the number of 
 pilgrims. 
 
 In latter years the numbers have been steadily increas¬ 
 ing. Since 1872 between 3,000 and 4,000 annually perform, 
 the Station here. 
 
 In an admirable guide book just published, named 
 Bundoran and its Neighbourhood^ (Dublin, 1895), the 
 writer, otherwise generally accurate, falls into the mistake 
 of stating that “ about 500 pilgrims visit Lough Derg 
 annually.” Had he said 5,000, he would have been 
 much nearer the truth. The annexed statistical table, 
 giving the number of pilgrims annually for a period of 
 some thirty years, together with the names of the priests 
 each year in attendance, must put this question beyond 
 further doubt:— 
 
 Year. 
 
 186C 
 
 1867 
 
 1868 
 
 1869 
 
 1870 
 
 1871 
 
 1872 
 
 1873 
 
 1874 
 
 1875 
 
 1876 
 
 1877 
 
 1878 
 
 No. of 
 Pil¬ 
 grims. 
 
 3,401 
 
 2,582 
 
 2,331 
 
 2,428 
 
 2,882 
 
 3,293 
 
 3,683 
 
 3,012 
 
 2,437 
 
 2,122 
 
 3,196 
 
 3,305 
 
 3,231 
 
 Names of the Clergy Officiating. 
 
 Revs. E. M‘Kenna (Prior), James M‘Kenna, John M‘Aidie, 
 Peter Byrne. 
 
 James M‘Kenna, Thomas Smollen, Ter. M'Ardle. 
 
 Ed. M‘Kenna, Jas. M‘Kenna, R. Owens. 
 
 Ed. M‘Kenna, James M‘Kenna, 1). O’Connor. 
 
 Ed. M‘Kenna, Jas. M‘Kenna, R. Owens. 
 
 Ed. M‘Kenna, Jas. M‘Kenna, Jos. Woods, Jas. M‘Quaide. 
 Ed. M‘Kenna, Jas. M‘Kenna, Jos. Woods, Patk. Hackett. 
 Ed. M‘Kenna, Jas. M‘Kenna, Jos. Woods, P. Hackett. 
 
 Ed. M‘Kenna, Jas. M'Kenna, P. Hackett, Eelix Hackett. 
 Ed. M‘Kenna, Jas. M‘Kenna, F. Hackett, P. Hackett. 
 
 Ed. M'Kenna, H. O’Connor, Felix and. P. Hackett. 
 
 Jas. M‘Kenna, Jos. Woods, John F. Maguire. 
 
 Jas. M‘Kenna, D. O’Connor, Wm. Downey (Dio. Cashel), 
 P. Callan. 
 
 * The publication in question is sure to become an indispensable Vade 
 Mecum, and a treasured souvenir to those who visit that delightful 
 region. 
 
LOUGH DERG. 
 
 197 
 
 1879 
 
 1880 
 1881 
 1882 
 
 1883 
 
 1884 
 
 1885 
 
 1886 
 
 1887 
 
 1888 
 
 1889 
 
 1890 
 
 1891 
 
 1,765 
 
 2,496 
 
 2,222 
 
 3,097 
 
 2,813 
 
 3,188 
 
 2,444 
 
 2,016 
 
 2,742 
 
 2,852 
 
 3,068 
 
 3,124 
 
 2,944 
 
 Jas. M‘Kenna, John McMahon, D. O’Connor. 
 
 Jas. M'Kenna, J. M'Mahon, D. O’Connor. 
 
 Jas. M'Kenna, J. M'Mahon, Thos. Gallagher, P. M‘Vicar. 
 Jas. M'Kenna, Thos. Gallagher, P. M'Vicar, P. Smyth, 
 P. O’Neill. 
 
 Jas. M‘Kenna, P. M'Vicar, Jos. Woods, Eug. M'Kenna. 
 Prior, Ed. Loughrey (Dio. Derry), P. M'Vicar, J. Maguire, 
 A. M‘Lerney. 
 
 Prior, Eug. M'Kenna, Ed. Loughrey. Alex. M'Lerney. 
 Prior, Maurice Brew (Dio. Cloyne), Ed. Loughrey. 
 
 Prior, Phil. M'Ginity, Eras. Timoney. 
 
 Prior, M'Ginity, Timoney, P. M’Cabe. 
 
 Prior, Timoney, P. Keown, Ed. Loughrey. 
 
 Prior, Laur. Kieran, M‘Ginity, P. M'Donald. 
 
 Prior, M'Ginity, Keown, Jas. O’Hanlon (Dio. Birmingham, 
 England), and Bev. F. Price, ditto. 
 
 Of the Lough Derg pilgrims the great majority are 
 Irish, or of Irish extraction. A great many come from 
 America, many from England and Scotland, and not a few 
 from Australia, New Zealand, and the other distant 
 eolonies, in a word from wherever the exiled Celt has 
 found a foothold. The sanctuary of Lough Derg would 
 seem to be a central meeting-place for the Irish, whither 
 they journey from the most distant regions, to renew 
 themselves in the faith and virtues so characteristic of 
 their race, and to keep vigil, to fast and pray at the 
 “ Holy Island.” Occasionally pilgrims of foreign nation¬ 
 alities kneel before the shrine and pour forth their 
 prayers in strange tongues. The devotions are now con¬ 
 ducted in the English language, yet before this sanctuary 
 many a prayer is still offered up in ‘‘ the sweet-tongued 
 language of the Gael.” 
 
 Instances are numerous, where persons, drawn by the 
 holy attractions of the place, repeat the pilgrimage year 
 after year. Mr. Nicholson, already mentioned, came here 
 annually for fifty-six years. A worthy Belfast man, 
 Mr. Henry, with an organised band of pilgrims, made a 
 yearly pilgrimage for at least fifty years. Many others 
 will be met with who have been there twenty or thirty 
 
198 
 
 ST. patkick’s pukgatory. 
 
 times; and of each year’s arrivals it may be said that 
 about one-third of the number had been to the island 
 previously. This has its obvious advantage, inasmuch as 
 there are found in each batch of arrivals persons who are 
 familiar with the Station exercises, and who in turn are 
 capable of guiding the inexperienced throughout. Just as 
 in former years, men still constitute the majority of the 
 pilgrims. While persons of every class, age and condition 
 in life may here be found performing with the greatest 
 humility its devotional exercises ; it is also noteworthy 
 that those who have once made the pilgrimage, leave the 
 island with the lively desire of one day returning, and 
 tasting again those sweet pleasures of soul, which the 
 Station, albeit the apparent severity of its exercises, 
 occasions. Those thoughts are beautifully expressed in 
 the following poem by T. D‘Arcy M‘Gee, who made a 
 pilgrimage to Lough Derg in 1848, at the time when his 
 friend, C. Gavan Duffy, was in prison. As the poem 
 entitled ‘‘Lough Derg” is one of the gems of its litera¬ 
 ture, I here gladly insert it:— 
 
 I. 
 
 “In a girdle of green, heathy hills, 
 
 In song-famed Donegal, 
 
 An islet stands in a lonely lake, 
 
 (A coffin in a pall), 
 
 A single stunted chestnut tree 
 Is sighing in the breeze. 
 
 While to and fro “ the Pilgrims ” flit 
 Or kneel upon their knees ; 
 
 Down to the shore, from North and East, 
 From Antrim and the Rosses, 
 
 Come barefoot pilgrims, men and maids, 
 Through water-ways and mosses ; 
 
 And some from Dublin City, far, 
 
 Where sins grow thick as berries. 
 
 From Sligo some, and Castlebar, 
 
 Come crossing by the ferries. 
 
LOUGH DERG. 
 
 199 
 
 ir. 
 
 Oh ! blessed Isle, a weary wight, 
 
 In body and in spirit. 
 
 Last year amid your pious ranks 
 Deplored his deep demerit; 
 
 And though upon his youth had fall’n 
 A watchful tyrant’s ban, 
 
 Though sorrow for the unfought fight 
 And grief for the captive man,* 
 
 Peopled his soul like visions 
 That cloud a crystal sleep. 
 
 These sorrows there pass’d from him, 
 
 ’Twas his sins that made him weep. 
 
 And forth he went, confess’d, forgiven. 
 
 Across the heathy hills. 
 
 His peace being made in heaven, 
 
 He laugh’d at earthly ills. 
 
 III. 
 
 Oh ! holy Isle, a ransom’d man 
 On a far distant shore, 
 
 Still in his day-dreams and his sleep . 
 
 Sits by the boatman’s oar ; 
 
 And crosses to your stony beach 
 And kneels upon his knees, 
 
 While overhead the chestnut-tree t 
 Is sighing in the breeze ; 
 
 And still he hears his people pray 
 In their own old Celtic tongue, 
 
 And still he sees the unbroken race 
 From Con and Nial sprung ; 
 
 And from departing voices hears 
 The thankful hymnj arise—• 
 
 That hymn will haunt him all his years, 
 
 And soothe him when he dies. 
 
 * C. G. Duffy. 
 
 t This is in reality a sycamore tree, and being the only tree or 
 shrub on Station Island, it consequently attracts some attention. It 
 is very old, probably two or three centuries at least, and very much 
 weather-beaten. A dense canopy of stunted branches shows where its 
 former growth was arrested, until being nourished by additional soil it 
 sent forth a fresh cluster of branches, which thus forms a protecting 
 shelter for its aged trunk and its original canopy of foliage. 
 
 J Meaning the “Farewell Hymn to Lough Derg” sung at the de¬ 
 parture of each boat from the Island. 
 
ST. PaTKICK’s PURGA'IORY. 
 
 ■ IV. 
 
 Oh, would you know the power of faith, 
 Go ! see it at Lough Derg ; 
 
 Oh, would you learn to smile at Death, 
 Go ! learn it at Lough Derg ; 
 
 A fragment fallen from ancient time. 
 
 It floateth there unchanged, 
 
 The Island of all Islands, 
 
 If the whole wide world were ranged. 
 
 There mournful men and thoughtful girls 
 Sins from their souls unbind ; 
 
 There thin gray hairs and childish curls 
 Are streaming in the wind ; 
 
 From May till August, night and day, 
 There praying pilgrims bide— 
 
 Oh, man hath no such refuge left. 
 
 In all the world wide !” 
 
LOUGH DEKG. 
 
 201 
 
 CHAPTER XVIL 
 
 ROUTES TO LOUGH DERG—THE PROJECT OF A SHOOTING 
 LODGE — THOUGHTS OF THE PILGRIM ON NEARING THE 
 LAKE—LITHOGRAPHIC VIEWS OF THE ISLAND—THE STATION 
 SEASON—AUTHORISED RELIGIOUS EXERCISES OF THE PIL¬ 
 GRIMAGE—EXPLANATORY REMARKS ON THOSE DEVOTIONS— 
 MOST REV. DR. DONNELLY PETITIONS THE HOLY SEE FOR 
 INDULGENCES—COPY OF THE PAPAL INDULT. 
 
 UCH hardship and suffering must have in 
 former times attended a pilgrimage to 
 Lough Derg, especially when we bear in 
 mind that pilgrims journeyed thither on 
 foot, and in many cases barefoot,* from the 
 most distant parts of the kingdom. Taking into 
 account, however, the facilities for travelling 
 nowadays available, the journey itself can no longer be 
 regarded as little more than an agreeable holiday excur¬ 
 sion. 
 
 There are three different routes by which pilgrims may 
 reach Lough Derg. The first starts from the town of 
 Donegal; and, after proceeding for some miles by a good 
 county road, the pilgrim enters upon a mountain track, 
 leading directly to the lake, past the western side of 
 Aughkeen mountain, and reaches the shore at a head¬ 
 land close to Saints’ Island, known in Island parlance as 
 
 * At present pilgrims but rarely divest themselves of their boots 
 before reaching Station Island. In the memory of the older among 
 us the case was quite diflferent, as the rigour of the Station penance was 
 su])posed to commence at the very outset of the journey. 
 
202 
 
 ST. PATRICK’S PURGATORY. 
 
 the Donegal Poiot.” Many of the sons and daughters of 
 “old Tyrconnell” come by this route; while others of 
 them, less observant of ancient usage, prefer the round¬ 
 about way by car to Pettigo. 
 
 Some years since it was in Contemplation to run a boat 
 at appointed times, for the greater convenience of the 
 Donegal pilgrims, to the mouth of the river Fluchlynn. 
 This would effect a saving to them of three miles across 
 a difficult stretch of moorland, and would lessen to that 
 extent their journey to or from Donegal. Should the 
 number of arrivals from that quarter at any time warrant 
 it, the project is quite feasible and can be put in opera¬ 
 tion. 
 
 The second of the Lough Derg routes wends its way 
 from Castiederg, past Killeter, on through the district of 
 Aughyarren, and terminates at the “ Cabin,” or ferry- 
 house. Most of the pilgrims from the Counties of Derry, 
 Tyrone, and part of Donegal come by this route, which has 
 been much enhanced by the opening in 1885 of the Yictoria 
 Bridge and Castiederg Tramway. The description of the 
 new line, prefixed to its time-table, and written by the 
 late Rev. Fr. M‘Loughlin, P.P., Termonamongan, leaves 
 nothing to add. He writes:— 
 
 “ What was a matter of peril and much labour in the Middle 
 Ages is easy of access at the present day. The Castiederg and 
 Victoria Bridge Tramway, which is in connection with the rail¬ 
 road from Derry, will convey the Lough Derg pilgrims to 
 Castiederg, a distance of ten Irish miles from the shore of the 
 lake. The road from Castiederg to Killeter, and for four 
 miles further, passes through the valley of the Derg, and the 
 rich alluvial lands skirting that river, and proceeds through 
 undulating moorlands, remarkable for scenery. A new road, a 
 mile and a half long, has been lately constructed, which will 
 lead the pilgrims to within a few hundred yards of the lake. 
 
LOUGH DEKG. 
 
 203 
 
 The entire road from Castlederg is quite level and kept in tirst 
 class order. To such as come from Derry this will shorten the 
 distance at least thirty miles, and will be found much cheaper 
 than the old route by the Bundoran Junction. For economy 
 of time and money, and for its grand scenery, I should be glad 
 to see this route adopted by all who visit Lough Derg from 
 most of the Northern Counties.’' 
 
 The third and principal approach to Lough Derg is the 
 road leading from Pettigo to the lake. Nearly all the 
 pilgrims, coming by tram or car, journey by this route. 
 At present a good county road approaches the lake. It is 
 kept in very good repair, and vehicles of every description 
 can easily speed along its level, well-graded surface. But 
 it was not always so. Until about thirty years since the 
 county road stopped short abruptly fully a mile from the 
 lake, and the pilgrim was left to trudge the remainder of 
 bis way over a boggy track, the condition of which in wet 
 weather baffles description. Though quite outside the 
 sphere of his duty, the prior during those years used every 
 effort to keep this track passable, by having the flooded 
 parts drained, and by causing bundles of heath to be 
 scattered over its quagmires and ruts. At length, how¬ 
 ever, after long intervals, and by bits and snatches, the 
 roadway has been macadamised to the water’s edge, 
 so that no further grievance on that score any longer 
 exists. 
 
 It will interest all who purpose visiting Lough Derg to 
 know that “ cheap excursion tickets, in some instances at 
 single fare for the double journey, marked ‘ Lough Derg 
 tickets,’ and available for return for eight days, can be had 
 at all the principal stations of the Irish Great Northern 
 railway system.” 
 
 On the arrival of each train at Pettigo, cars will be 
 found in waiting to convey without any delay the pilgrims 
 
204 
 
 ST. patkick’s purgatory. 
 
 to the lake; and they will find it to their own interest 
 and convenience to make no break in their journey, but 
 to proceed without interruption to Station Island. The 
 last available train reaches Pettigo about 7.40 p.m., thus 
 leaving nearly two hours of daylight still remaining for 
 the pilgrims to reach the Island, where they will find for 
 the night as good accommodation as any that can be 
 supplied in the neighbouring towns, and it may be added, 
 at considerably less cost, besides being removed from the 
 dangers and distractions of those towns. 
 
 Nearing the lake by the route from Pettigo, the visitor will 
 discern a fine plantation of firs, skirting the roadway for 
 some distance. Those trees planted in 1847, together with 
 some of the islands afforested in the same year, tend to 
 relieve the surrounding scene of much of its stern aspect. 
 Thus, where eagles and wild geese (as Richardson states,) 
 used to abound over a century ago, the sweet notes of the 
 feathered songsters of the grove may now be heard. 
 
 Upon a spur of mountain within the area of this fir 
 plantation, the landlord made preparations some twenty 
 years since to erect a Shooting Lodge. Beyond construct¬ 
 ing an avenue (branching off to the left from the Lough 
 Derg road,) to its site, and sinking its foundations, the lodge 
 remains in stain quo. 
 
 A common impression prevails in the locality that it 
 was at one time the fixed intention of the landlord to con¬ 
 vert Station Island itself into a shooting lodge. Be that 
 as it may, the following narrative will tend to show not 
 only his designs upon the place, but also the successful 
 manner in which those designs were counteracted by the 
 prior, acting under the guidance of his bishop. We have 
 already seen that 1846 was remarkable for the vast 
 numbers that came crowding to the Island. The accom¬ 
 modation for such numbers proving altogether inadequate. 
 
LOUGH DERG. 
 
 205 
 
 the ferryman Campbell asked for and obtained from Prior 
 Moyna a site for building a large inn, and forthwith 
 commenced its erection. When the masonry was half com¬ 
 pleted, and a sum of £100 expended upon it, Mr. John 
 Cunningham, then newly appointed agent to the Leslie 
 estates, came upon the scene in 1847. He required 
 Campbell to enter into an agreement with him for the site 
 at a nominal rent, and, in the event of refusal, threatened 
 to prevent his ferrying material for the building across the 
 lake. Campbell at the instance of the prior refused. So 
 the building was discontinued and never after completed. 
 Until 1870 it remained standing to the right of the 
 passage from the boat-quay to St. Mary’s, when it was 
 taken down and its site converted into an open space in 
 front of the church. Mr. Cunningham, however, was a 
 person not easily to be outdone. He immediately began 
 to treat with the cabin-keepers on the island, who, by 
 the way, were his tenants on the mainland, asking them 
 to agree to incorporate their interests in the island cabins 
 with those of their holdings on the mainland, and to have 
 both cabin and farm included in one rent receipt. He 
 likewise proposed reinstating them as tenants of their 
 island cabins at one shilling per year each. They all 
 replied, they could not agree to those terms without the 
 sanction of the prior. Claiming as usual an estate in the 
 land of the island, he summoned them to his office a second 
 time, and threatened, if they did not submit to his will, 
 that he would evict them from their farms on the main¬ 
 land. They again refused unless the prior would give his 
 sanction. One of their number, William Mulligan, soon 
 afterwards sold to Mr. Cunningham for the sum of £12 
 his interest in his island cabin. Mr. Cunningham let 
 it to one Robert Muldoon, whose occupation of it was 
 rendered profitless, as the prior interdicted it on the spot. 
 
206 
 
 ST. Patrick’s purgatory. 
 
 Eventually, however, it was granted by the prior to the 
 succeeding ferryman, as an accommodation. 
 
 The prior, fully informed of those manoeuvres on the 
 part of Mr. Cunningham, lost no time in communicating 
 with the bishop. Most Rev. Dr. M‘Nally. That great 
 prelate proved himself fully equal to the emergency. He 
 directed the prior, in the event of the cabin-keepers yield¬ 
 ing to the demands of the agent, to close the Station 
 forthwith. Relations continued thus strained until 1853, 
 W'^hen the bishop considered it his duty to make a formal 
 visitation of the island. Vested with the insignia of his 
 office, and accompanied by the prior and another priest as 
 witnesses, he entered each cabin, and demanded and 
 obtained possession from each cabin-keeper. He imme¬ 
 diately re-instated them at an annual rent of one penny 
 each, which rent was afterwards increased to one shilling 
 per year, the amount still payable. 
 
 Ever since, that rent has been paid each year by the 
 ferry-man as well as by the rest of the cabin-keepers, and 
 formal rent receipts in the bishop’s name given to each of 
 them for now close on fifty years. The present worthy 
 prior assures me that he discharged the duty of collecting 
 those rents, and tendering those cabin-keepers the receipts 
 in the bishop’s name, as the deputy of the then prior, in 
 1856, and the three succeeding years. As we shall see 
 later on, this prompt action on the part of Dr. M‘Nally 
 stood the island in good stead in after years. 
 
 The feelings of the pilgrim, when a sudden turn in the 
 road brings him within view of the lake and of Station 
 Island, may be better imagined than described. The 
 sentiment is thus expressed by a correspondent in a letter 
 to the Freeman of 30th Julv, ’83:— 
 
 “The sensation one feels on first beholding this venerable 
 sanctuary is something awfully sublime, and one never to be 
 
LOUGH DERG. 
 
 207 
 
 forgotten. The gentlemen of our party simultaneously, and 
 as it were by common impulse, raise their hats to mark 
 their feelings of veneration.” 
 
 On nearing the ferry-cabin may be witnessed some such 
 spectacle as that referred to by Inglis, a writer by no 
 means friendly to the pilgrimage: I descended 
 
 towards the shore of the lake, I could see that the island 
 was entirely covered with persons, and on the bank I 
 found upwards of two hundred pilgrims waiting to be 
 ferried over. They were generally respectably dressed ; 
 some were sitting, some lying on the grass ; some, more 
 impatient, were standing close to the water, waiting the 
 arrival of the ferry-boat; and some, more impatient still, 
 had been warmed into devotion by the distant view of the 
 holy place, and were already on their knees.’’ 
 
 The large pilgrims’ boat, appropriately called the “ St. 
 Patrick,”* manned by steady and experienced boatmen, 
 and capable of accommodating about sixty pilgrims, can 
 make the passage from the ferry-house to the Island, a 
 distance of nearly a statute mile, in ten or twelve minutes. 
 There is a smaller boat on the ferry' named the ‘‘ St. 
 Brigid,” and a third called the “ St. Coluraba.” 
 
 When the pilgrims arrive on the island, they proceed to 
 the hospice, or to the cabins, which are six in number, 
 and there they divest themselves of shoes and hats, in 
 order to perform the station, as prescribed by ancient 
 usage, both barefoot and bareheaded. 
 
 Station Island is in length 126 yards ; in its broadest 
 part 45, and in its narrowest 22 yards across. In the 
 summer of 1871 Mr. Edward Nicholson (already referred 
 
 * A former P.P. of Aghabog, Rev. B. Duffy, took to himself the 
 credit of having christened this boat, or rather its predecessor, with 
 the blessing prescribed for such in the Ritual. 
 
208 
 
 ST. patkick’s purgatoky. 
 
 to), then of Manchester, obtained permission to take a 
 sketch of the island, and to have at his own expense 
 lithographic prints of it struck off. The work was exe¬ 
 cuted in 1873 by the firm of MacGregor & Co., Man¬ 
 chester. The lithographs, together with the lithographic 
 blocks, were presented by Mr. Nicholson to the bishop of 
 the diocese, for the benefit of the island. The sketch in 
 question, copies of which are procurable on the island, is 
 furnished with a reference table in the margin, which 
 serves the triple purpose of a map, guide, and pictorial 
 representation of Station Island. It represents, though 
 in a fanciful and embellished way, the two churches on 
 the island, St. Patrick’s and St. Mary’s; the Campanile ; 
 St.Patrick’s Cross; the penitential beds, or oratories, dedi¬ 
 cated to Saints Dabheoc, Molaise, Columba, Catherine, 
 Brendan and Brigid; the stations at the water ; the 
 presbytery; the six cabins; and the boat-quay. Even 
 the solitary sycamore* (the arms of which in pre-campanile 
 days served the purpose of a belfry,) is accurately deline¬ 
 ated on the drawing. Mr. William Wakeman also pub¬ 
 lished a fine water colour sketch of Station Island, taken 
 in 1876, showing the pilgrims’ boat on its passage ; and 
 again, in 1882, he took a very accurate sketch of it, 
 his point of view being Friars’ Island. In this sketch 
 the new Hospice for pilgrims is clearly outlined. 
 
 It would appear that the Station season at Lough Derg 
 during the last century opened on the 1st of May, and 
 
 * That there were some trees on the island during the last century, 
 on that part of it now occupied by the Presbytery, would appear from 
 the plate of the island to be found in Ledwich’s Antiquities of Ireland. 
 And before him Rev. Mr. Hewson, writes:—“Some few small trees, 
 and a large one, half withered ” (evidently this is the present solitary 
 sycamore,) “are about the ruins, and fifteen small huts' in the nearer 
 end of the island for the reception of pilgrims.” 
 
LoTKiH DekG 
 
LOUGH DERG. 
 
 209 
 
 
 closed on the 15tli August. This would seem to have 
 been the Station season at least since the closing of the 
 cave in 1497. During the present century, however, the 
 station opened on 1st of June and closed on the 15th of 
 August. In 1869 the time was still further limited from 
 1st of July to 15th August. But in the year 1881, owing 
 to the incrfase in the number of pilgrims, it was deter¬ 
 mined to revert to the former Station period, so that the 
 Station season now extends from 1st June to 15th August,* 
 during which period the prior and his assistants will be 
 found in attendance. 
 
 We have already seen that the pilgrimage or station, 
 according to modern custom, lasts for three days, though 
 some continue their station for six, and even for nine days. 
 It is customary for the pilgrims to arrive fasting, and to 
 perform at least one station before partaking of food ; 
 hence it is that most of the pilgrims arrive in the earlier 
 part of the day. Should the pilgrim not arrive fasting, 
 this will necessitate his remaining an additional night on 
 the island, as he cannot commence the Station until the 
 morrow of his arrival. During the pilgrimage three 
 Stations are performed each da 3 ^ For the convenience 
 and guidance of the pilgrims a large number of copies of 
 the authorized devotional exercises were printed in 1876, 
 and an amended copy still later, with the aid of which 
 little difficulty will be encountered in going through the 
 
 * In the year 1860 the Station was closed owing to improvements 
 and repairs being made on the island. After those repairs had been 
 eSected, and about the beginning of the month of August of that year, 
 pilgrims were admitted to the island, and, with the sanction of the 
 bishop of the diocese, the. Station was kept open until the feast of the 
 Nativity of the Blessed Virgin, the 8th of September following. During 
 that interval a considerable number of pilgrims arrived. This is the 
 only instance I can find where the Station was kept open after the 
 15th of August. 
 
 O 
 
210 
 
 ST. pateick’s puegatory. 
 
 routine of the Station exercises. I here insert a copy as 
 amended :— 
 
 PILGRIMAGE OF LOUGH DERG. 
 
 DEVOTIONAL EXERCISES. 
 
 “ Unless you shall do Penance, you shall all likewise perish.” 
 
 Luke, 13c., 3v. 
 
 The Station commences with a visit to the Blessed Sacra¬ 
 ment in St. Patrick’s Church. 
 
 The Pilgrim then proceeds to “ St. Patrick’s Cross,” near the 
 same Church, and, kneeling, repeats there one Pater, one Ave, 
 and Creed. 
 
 Next he goes to “St. Bridget’s Cross,” where, kneeling, he 
 recites three Paters, three Aves, and one Creed. 
 
 Then, standing with his back to the Cross and outstretched 
 arms, he thrice renounces the Devil, the World, and the 
 Flesh. 
 
 He then makes seven circuits of St. Patrick’s Church, re- 
 j)eating in each circuit one decade of the Rosary and adding a 
 Creed to the last decade. 
 
 He next proceeds to the penitential cell or “ Bed” nearest to 
 St. Mary’s Church, called “ St. Bridget’s Bed,” and says three 
 Paters, three Aves, and one Creed, whilst thrice making the 
 circuit of this Bed on the outside. The same prayers are re¬ 
 peated while kneeling outside the entrance of the “ Bed; ” the 
 same repeated while making three circuits of it on the inside; 
 and the same prayers are repeated while kneeling at the Cross 
 inside the Bed. 
 
 The same penitential exercises are performed successively at 
 St. Brendan’s Bed, St. Catherine’s, and St. Columba’s. 
 
 Around the large penitential Bed, six circuits are then made 
 on the outside, while repeating nine Paters, nine Aves, and 
 one Creed. The Pilgrim then kneels at the first entrance of 
 this Bed, and recites three Paters, three Aves, and one Creed. 
 
LOUGH DERG. 
 
 211 
 
 He next repeats three Paters, three Aves, and one Creed, while 
 making the inside circuit of it; and again three Paters, three 
 Aves, and a Creed, kneeling in the centre. He now proceeds 
 to the second entrance of this Bed (which entrance is the one 
 nearer to St. Patrick’s Church), and, kneeling, recites three 
 Paters, three Aves, and one Creed. The same prayers are 
 recited whilst making the inner circuit of it; and the same, 
 kneeling in the centre. 
 
 The Pilgrim now goes to the water’s edge, where five Paters, 
 
 « 
 
 five Aves, and one Creed are repeated, standing, and the same 
 prayers, kneeling. 
 
 After this he returns to St. Patrick’s Cross, from which he 
 had first set out; and here says, on his knees, one Pater, one 
 Ave, and one Creed. 
 
 He then enters St. Patrick’s Church, where the Station is 
 concluded, by saying five Paters, five Aves, and a Creed for 
 the Pope’s intention. 
 
 Three Stations with the foregoing prayers are performed 
 each day, each Station being usually followed by five decades 
 of the Bosary of the Blessed Virgin. 
 
 The Pilgrim enters Prison ” on the evening of the first day, 
 and there makes the Stations for the second day, by reciting 
 the prayers of each Station as already given. 
 
 On the second day of the pilgrimage, each one goes to Con¬ 
 fession. 
 
 In addition to the foregoing exercises, the Pilgrim assists 
 each day at Morning Prayer, Mass, Meditation, Visit to the 
 Blessed Sacrament, Evening Prayer, Sermon and Benediction 
 with the Blessed Sacrament. 
 
 Any information regarding the fast, etc., may be easily 
 obtained on the Island. 
 
 The Station opens each year on the 1st of June, and closes 
 on the festival of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin, the 
 loth of August. 
 
 The better to enable pilgrims to understand how to get 
 
212 
 
 ST. Patrick’s purgatory. 
 
 through with their Station, I shall here add some expla¬ 
 natory information. 
 
 The pilgrim enters prison ” {i.e. St. Patrick’s Church, 
 so called because it serves the purpose of the ancient 
 purgatorial cave,) the first evening after he commences 
 his Station, and remains there until the same hour, 
 six o’clock p.m., next evening. During the night “in 
 prison,” strict vigil is kept; the Stations for the following 
 ’ day are gone through, some person well-acquainted with 
 the routine of the exercises directing the attention of those 
 present to the different beds or oratories, etc.; and the 
 intervals of the night are occupied with reciting rosaries, 
 performing the Holy Way of the Stations of the Cross, etc. 
 
 At six o’clock, at latest, each morning, morning prayer 
 commences in St. Patrick’s Church, followed by the com¬ 
 munity Mass. At twelve o’clock, noon, there is a visit to 
 the Blessed Sacrament in St. Patrick’s Church, followed 
 by a spiritual lecture. Each-evening at six o’clock the 
 island bell summons the pilgrims to evening prayer in the 
 same church, after which a sermon is preached, followed 
 by Benediction with the Blessed Sacrament. The re¬ 
 ligious discourses here delivered are of the most practical 
 kind; are well calculated to awaken in the hearts of the 
 pilgrims a lively sense of the eternal truths, and of their 
 religious obligations; and, being so abundantly aided by 
 divine grace, afford the pilgrims great help in preparing 
 for Confession and Holy Communion. The public exer¬ 
 cises of the day are brought to a close at nine o’clock 
 each evening by the devotions of the Way of the Cross, 
 conducted by one of the ofidciating clergymen, and accom¬ 
 panied by the choir. This particular devotion as carried 
 out at Lough Derg, is so affecting and emotional that no 
 one can form an adequate idea of it unless by assisting 
 thereat in person. So prized and popular is it, that no 
 
LOUGH DERG. 
 
 213 
 
 one, not even the cabin-keepers, would for a moment 
 dream of being absent from it. 
 
 The circuits of the churches and saints’ beds, which 
 form a distinctive feature of the pilgrimage, and which, 
 though not peculiar to Ireland, formerly in this country 
 constituted a very common form of penance and devotion, 
 are clearly explained in the “Exercises” given above. 
 Those beds are the oldest structures at present remaining 
 on Station Island; they are rather closely grouped together; 
 and probably have received no material alteration* for 
 hundreds of years past, at least not since the destruction 
 and defacement of the structures at Lough Derg in the 
 seventeenth and early part of the eighteenth centuries. 
 Four of the beds are surrounded by a low circular wall, 
 not over one foot in height; while the walls round two 
 others are about three feet high. They do not exceed ten 
 
 * With reference to the “ Beds” on Station Island, the prior relates 
 an occurrence that came under his notice, on the occasion of a visit paid 
 by him to the island as Curator (the duty of Curator being to watch 
 after the safety of the place during the non-Station period) thereof, and 
 very soon after his appointment to that office, in the September of 1857. 
 When on the island, an American Catholic gentleman, who had taken a 
 deep interest in all he had seen, but especially in the cells or Saints’ “Beds,” 
 accosted him thus :—“ What a pity those venerable remains of a glorious 
 past should remain in their present dilapidated condition. I suggest that 
 they be forthwith thoroughly restored in first-class masonry, strictly 
 adhering to their present plan and dimensions, and finished with a cut- 
 stone circular coping, and, if this idea be adopted, I shall place 1,000 
 dollars (£200) in your hands for the purpose.” The Curator, overjoyed 
 at the offer, prudently submitted the matter to his bishop, who, to his 
 great surprise, rebuked him for his simplicity, adding :—“ The project 
 could not be entertained for a moment. Those cells, venerable for their 
 antiquity, speak trumpet-tongued of the glorious past; to touch them 
 would be simply to destroy their value as historical monuments. 
 Hitherto they were not altered or repaired by human hands, and never 
 shall.” Needless to add the gentleman, who had left his address, was 
 never called upon to fulfil his promise. 
 
214 
 
 ST. PATRICK’S PURGATORY. 
 
 or twelve feet in diameter, with the exception of St. 
 Molaise’s Bed, which is sixteen feet in diameter. A small 
 gap in the circular enclosure forms an entrance to each of 
 those beds, the inner floor being paved with stones, or 
 formed of the bare rock worn smooth by the feet of pilgrims 
 for so many generations; and in the centre of each bed 
 stands a crucifix, having underneath the name of the saint 
 to whom the bed is dedicated. Three of those bronze cru¬ 
 cifixes, inscribed respectively St. Patrick,” “ St. Brigid,” 
 and “St. Columbkille,” were presented to the island by the 
 late John Donegan, Jeweller, Dublin; while the remaining 
 three crucifixes were ordered from Munich by Edward 
 Nicholson, of Manchester, and presented to the island 
 during the year 1878. 
 
 A large stone at the verge of the lake and partly 
 submerged in water, where a portion of the prayers of the 
 Station are recited, is called beAc-riA-moAri, meaning the 
 penitential stone of the monk, i.e, St. Patrick, who by 
 some writers was styled the Monk, Patrick.” Tradition 
 has it that St. Patrick knelt and prayed upon this stone, 
 leaving miraculously thereon the imprint of his knees, to 
 be seen to this day. 
 
 The fast of the pilgrimage, according to immemorial 
 custom, consists of one meal of meagre food each day; but 
 wherever any just cause exists for relaxation in this, or in 
 any other of the penitential austerities of the place, the 
 prior, in whom is vested full jurisdiction and authority in 
 those matters, or any of his assistants deputed by him for 
 the purpose, will grant every reasonable dispensation, 
 according to each particular case. To the credit, however, 
 of the genuine faith and piety of the Irish people be it 
 said, that the great majority of the pilgrims cheerfully 
 undergo all the austerities of the pilgrimage, wisely con¬ 
 sidering a three days’ mortification and penance as but 
 
LOUGH DERG. 
 
 215 
 
 light and easy in comparison to the temporal punishment 
 due to sin. 
 
 On the second day of his Station each pilgrim goes to 
 confession in St. Mary’s Church; and, if he should live a 
 considerable distance from the lake, he usually obtains 
 permission from the prior to anticipate one or two of the 
 startions for the following day, in order that he might be 
 in readiness to leave the island at an earlier hour. On 
 the morning of the third day Holy Communion is received, 
 the nine stations are completed, the prior’s blessing is 
 obtained, and the pilgrim is free to leave for home, unless 
 he wishes to prolong his stay for a six or nine day station. 
 
 It may be useful to insert here the usual scale of tariff. 
 Car fare from Pettigo to the lake, 6d.; ferry, return ticket, 
 8d.; island ticket, lOd. This latter item, paid by each pilgrim, 
 goes to the support of the clergy ministering to the pilgri¬ 
 mage, and to meet ‘the various incidental expenses of the 
 place. The tariff for a three days’ board and accommo¬ 
 dation in the Hospice will amount to about 2s. 6d. for the 
 period of a Station ; in the cabins the charge is somewhat 
 less. To priests, making here a week’s ecclesiastical 
 retreat, the terms may not exceed ten shillings. 
 
 Pilgrims are strictly prohibited, by a special rule, the use 
 of intoxicating drinks upon the island, or within three miles 
 of it, or anywhere during the three days of the Station 
 period. They are also forbidden to carry away with them 
 pebbles from the shore or islands, water from the lake, 
 branches of trees, ferns, heath, or such like, without the 
 prior’s sanction and permission. There is just the danger 
 that undue value might be attached to those things ; and, 
 though this may seem a small matter, order and discipline 
 even in small things should be observed. 
 
 The throng of pilgrims greatly increases towards the 
 festival of the Assumption, when the Station terminates; 
 
216 
 
 ST. Patrick’s purgatory. 
 
 and we here venture to remark that pilgrims coming at 
 an earlier stage of the Station season would better consult 
 for their own comfort and accommodation. 
 
 We have already seen that this venerable sanctuary was 
 greatly cherished by several of the Roman Pontiffs, and 
 that they enriched it with indulgences, which, in latter 
 ages, were granted anew after the lapse of every fifteen 
 years. There was a renewal of this plenary indulgence 
 granted on the 26th June, 1870, by the late Holy Father, 
 Pope Pius IX., of holy memory. Through the kindness of 
 the late venerated Bishop Donnelly, I am enabled to give 
 the authentic copies of the Postulatioy and of the Papal 
 Indult itself. 
 
 The form of postulation is written in Italian, and is 
 countersigned, “D. B. Smith. J- 25, 1870.” 
 
 This Fostulatio is as follows:— 
 
 “Beatissimo Padre, 
 
 “ Giacomo Donnelly, Yescovo di Clogher, in Irlanda, religio- 
 samente espone alia Santita Vostra quanto seque. 
 
 ‘‘Nella sua diocesi avvi un santuario detto il Purgatorio di 
 S. Patrizio, frequentato dai divoti non solo dTrlanda, ma 
 d’lnghilterra e di Scozia; ogni pellegrino passa almeno tre 
 giorni in detto santuario in pii esercizi, e frequenza dei sacra- 
 menti della Confessione ed Eucaristia, secondo la direzione dei 
 preti secolari, che diriggono quel luogo: di esso parla ancora 
 Benedetto XIII., nel Sermone 13, de Purgatorio; e gli storici 
 dicono che un tal pelegrinaggio sia stato istituito da S. Patrizio 
 stesso. Benche nel tempo della persecuzione dei Protestanti si 
 adoperasse ogni sforzo per rovinar detto santuario, pure non vi 
 SI riusci; ed esso dura ancora con immenso vantaggio della 
 salute spirituale dei prossimi, e religione Cattolica. 
 
 “ Secondo il Relatio Status fatto nel 1814 da Monsigr. Murphy, 
 Vescovo di Clogher la S. Sede aveva concessa una indulgenza 
 alia visita del Purgatorio di S. Patrizio. 
 
LOUGH DERG. 
 
 217 
 
 “Quindi S. Oratore supplica la santita vostra degnarsi di 
 accordare Tindulgenza plenaria, applicabile alle anime del pur- 
 gatorio, a tutti i fideli, che premessi i sancti sacramenti della 
 Confessione e Communione visita il detto santuario, e cio 
 toties quoties ripeteranno dette prattiche della SS. Communione 
 durante gli esercizi che ecc.’^ 
 
 The following may be regarded as a pretty literal 
 translation of the foregoing document:— 
 
 ‘‘ Most Holy Father, 
 
 “James Donnelly, Bishop of Clogher, in Ireland, respect¬ 
 fully submits to your Holiness what follows. 
 
 “In his diocese he has a sanctuary called St. Patrick’s 
 Purgatory, which is frequented by the devout not only of 
 Ireland, but from England and Scotland also. Each pilgrim 
 spends at least three days at the said sanctuary in pious exer¬ 
 cises, and frequentation of the sacraments of Confession and 
 the Eucharist, under the direction of the secular priests, who 
 have charge of the place. Of it, likewise, Benedict XIII. 
 speaks in the 13th Sermon on Purgatory. Historians say that 
 such a pilgrimage was established by the said St. Patrick. 
 And although at the time of the persecution by the Protes¬ 
 tants, every effort was made to destroy the said sanctuary, yet 
 they could not destroy it; and it still subsists with immense 
 advantage to the spiritual welfare of the surrounding people, 
 and to the Catholic religion. 
 
 “According to the Relatio Status^ made in 1814 by Dr. Murphy, 
 Bishop of Clogher, the Holy See had attached an indulgence to 
 the visit of the Purgatory of St. Patrick. 
 
 “ Hence Petitioner begs that your Holiness will be pleased 
 to grant a plenary indulgence, applicable to the souls in Purga¬ 
 tory, to all the faithful who, having previously received the 
 Holy Sacraments of Confession and Communion, visit the said 
 sanctuary, and who repeat toties quoties the aforesaid practice of 
 Holy Communion during the exercises.” 
 
218 
 
 ST. Patrick’s purgatory. 
 
 The following is a copy of the Papal Indult, granting 
 the prayer of the above petition by according a plenary 
 indulgence to this pilgrimage ;— 
 
 “Ex audientia SSimi, die 26 Junii, 1870. 
 
 “ SSimus D. N. Pius Divina Providentia PP. IX. referente 
 me infra-scripto S. C. de Propaganda Fide Secretario, benigne 
 prorogavit Indulgentiam Pienariam lucrandam ab omnibus 
 Christi fidelibus, qui confessi ac sacra Eucharistia refecfci 
 prsedictam capellam vulgo Purgatorium S. Patritii visitaverint, 
 ibique per aliquod temporis spatium pias ad Deutn fuderint 
 preces pro S. Fidei propagatione, et juxta summi Pontificis 
 intentionem. 
 
 “ Dat. Romae ex aed. die. S. C. die et anno ut supra. 
 
 “ Gratis sine ulla solutione quocumque titulo. 
 
 “Joannes Simeoni, Secretarius.” 
 
 This Indult may be translated as follows:— 
 
 “From an audience of His Holiness, on the 26th day of 
 June, 1870. 
 
 “Our Most Holy'Father Pius IX., by Divine Providence 
 Pope, at the representation of me, the undersigned Secretary 
 of the Sacred Congregation de Propaganda Fide^ has graciously 
 prolonged the concession of a plenary indulgence to be gained 
 by all the faithful, who, having confessed and being nourished 
 by the Holy Eucharist, shall have visited the above-mentioned 
 sanctuary, commonly called the Purgatory of St. Patrick, and 
 there, during some space of time, shall have offered up pious 
 prayers to God for the propagation of our holy faith, and 
 according to the intention of the Sovereign Pontiff. 
 
 “ Given at Rome, from the Oifice of said Sacred Congregation, 
 on the date and year above named. 
 
 “ Gratis^ without any payment under whatever title. 
 
 “John Simeoni, Secretarv.” 
 
 ' V 
 
LOUGH DEKG. 
 
 219 
 
 From the foregomg Indult it will be seen that the in¬ 
 dulgences accorded to this pilgrimage are given for an 
 indefinite period; consequently they may be understood as 
 annexed to the pilgrimage, until withdrawn by the Holy 
 See. 
 
 The pious pilgrim to Lough Derg must feel heartfelt 
 satisfaction in reading the above Indult, which may be re¬ 
 garded as the charter and title deed of the pilgrimage, and 
 as the endowment of it with spiritual favours by a Pontiff, 
 whose career was so glorious, and who loved the Irish race 
 so tenderly because of their constant faith and fervent 
 piety. 
 
220 
 
 ST. patkick’s puegatory. 
 
 CHAPTER XVIIL 
 
 A NEW ERA FOR LOUGH DERG—MANY PRELATES AND OTHER 
 ECCLESIASTICS VISIT IT—DR. CROKE, ARCHBISHOP OF CASHEL 
 —DR. LYNCH, ARCHBISHOP OF TORONTO—THE NEW HOSPICE 
 —THE LESLIE LITIGATION—SECOND VISIT OF ARCHBISHOP 
 LYNCH—UNVEILING OF THE STATUES OF “ OUR LADY OF 
 LOUGH DERG,” “ ST. JOSEPH,” AND “ ST. PATRICK.” 
 
 URING the Station Season of 1879 the 
 attention of the public became rivetted on 
 ^ Lough Derg, as it had not been before, and 
 all eyes turned to admire in wonderment the 
 austere penances performed at its sanctuary. 
 Amongst those who longed personally to behold 
 this venerated shrine the illustrious Archbishop 
 of Cashel, Most Rev. Dr. Croke, merits prominent rank. 
 He came to Lough Derg, accompanied by Most Rev. 
 Dr. Donnelly and several clergymen, on the 22nd of July, 
 1879. The distinguished visitors were met at the ferry- 
 house by the prior and his assistant priests; and during 
 the passage to the island the Psalm Miserere was intoned, 
 the island bell the while pealing forth its gladsome notes 
 of welcome. Having reached the island, they proceeded 
 to visit the Blessed Sacrament in St. Patrick’s Church; 
 after which they made a minute inspection of the place, 
 its churches, penitential oratories, cabins, etc. His Grace 
 bestowed a meed of praise upon what he had seen, upon 
 the churches, which he pronounced very suitable, not 
 omitting to remark upon the good order and neatness 
 apparent throughout. 
 
LOUGH DERG. 
 
 221 
 
 At the conclusion of the visitation, the large boat of the 
 ferry was put in readiness, and prelates, priests, and many 
 of the pilgrims embarked for a voyage to Saints’ Island, 
 around which, as Rosa Mulholland puts it in her Wild 
 Birds of Killeevy, “the mystical atmosphere of the legend 
 of the Knight sfcill hangs.” During the passage the 
 Benedictus was chanted, and also the “ Farewell Ode to 
 Lough Derg” sung by several well-trained voices. Ar¬ 
 rived at the island, a minute inspection was made of it, 
 especially of the ruins of the church and convent; and on 
 reaching the island cemetery, all reverently uncovered, 
 while the prelates and clergy solemnly intoned the Psalm 
 De Profundis, Returning from Saints’ Island, Dr. Murray’s 
 “ Song for the Pope ” was admirably rendered by the then 
 Adm. of Marlboro’ Street Cathedral, Rev. Father O’Reilly. 
 Dr. Croke, having taken leave of the prior, and having 
 imparted his blessing to the pilgrims, whom he addressed 
 in a few eloquent sentences of exhortation, took his depar¬ 
 ture from Station Island, escorted to the mainland by a 
 large retinue. During the passage across, the Magnificat 
 was chanted, the “ Farewell Ode to Lough Derg ” again ren¬ 
 dered, and thus ended a very memorable and pleasing visit. 
 
 On the 29th of July, same year, came the Right Rev. 
 Monsignor Lee, Dean of Dublin, accompanied by the 
 President of Maynooth College, Dr. Browne, now the accom¬ 
 plished bishop of Cloyne, and the Very Rev. Joseph Phelan, 
 President of Waterford College. 
 
 Next day, 80th July, arrived Most Rev. Dr. Gillooly, 
 bishop of Elphin, and Most Rev. Dr. M‘Cormack, then 
 bishop of Achonry, accompanied by Rev. Fr. Strickland, 
 S.J., and Rev. Father M‘Donagh. They made a close 
 examination of the pilgrimage, and expressed delight at 
 the edifying spectacle which the pilgrims, engaged in their 
 Station duties, presented. 
 
222 
 
 ST. Patrick’s purgatory. 
 
 Soon after those venerable prelates had taken their 
 departure, on the 5th of August, same year, the Yery Rev. 
 Dr. B. Russell, O.P., and Fr. O’Dwyer, O.P., Dundalk, came 
 upon the island, where they remained for two days, during 
 which they actively engaged in aiding the prior and his 
 assistants in the work of the confessional and in preaching. 
 
 The most notable event, however, of 1879 was the visit 
 of his Grace, Most Rev. John Joseph Lynch, Archbishop of 
 Toronto, who, on his way to Rome to pay the customary 
 visit Ad Limina, took occasion to turn aside to visit his 
 native land, and to make a pilgrimage to Lough Derg. At 
 Clones (his Grace’s native parish), he was joined by the 
 bishop of Ologher, who accompanied his illustrious friend 
 and fellow-pilgrim to Station Island. At four o’clock, p.m., 
 on Monday, 11th of August, the party came in view of the 
 ferryhouse, accompanied by several priests, amongst others 
 the Archbishop’s secretary. Father Bergin, Rev. John 
 Beggan, S.M., Rev. M. Collier, P.P., and also Mr. O’Callaghan 
 of Dublin. The prior deputed his two assistants to meet 
 the illustrious visitors at the ferryhouse; and on the 
 voyage the Miserere^ according to island custom, was 
 chanted, the pealing of the island bell notifying to all 
 within reach* of its sound that an event of unusual import- 
 tance was taking place. On arriving at the boat-quay all 
 the pilgrims on the island, including several from the 
 United States and other distant lands, some even from the 
 Archbishop’s diocese of Toronto, knelt down to receive a 
 blessing from the two prelates. Immediately they, together 
 with the accompanying priests, entered upon the Station 
 exercises, in the first place making a visit to the Blessed 
 Sacrament in St. Patrick’s Church, where they remained 
 for some time engaged in prayer and meditation. 
 
 At six p.m., the appointed hour for the evening devo¬ 
 tions, the Archbishop, after reciting aloud with the pilgrims 
 
LOUGH DERG. 
 
 228 
 
 the E-osary of the Blessed Virgin, preached a sermon 
 replete with fervour, unction and devotion, in which, after 
 bestowing a fitting tribute of admiration upon the heroic 
 penances and most edifying piety of the pilgrims, he 
 characterised the pilgrimage of Lough Derg as one of the 
 holiest, and certainly one of the most penitential institu¬ 
 tions on the face of the earth. He added that in the 
 Providence of God the pilgrimage has contributed largely 
 to preserve and increase in this “ Martyr Nation ’’ all the 
 virtues of our holy religion, especially that burning zeal 
 for the faith, which makes of the exiled Irish pioneers and 
 missionaries of religion in every land to which they are 
 driven. 
 
 The impression produced by that eloquent address is one 
 that shall never be forgotten by the large congregation 
 assembled in St. Patrick’s Church. At the close of the 
 sermon his Grace gave Benediction with the Blessed 
 Sacrament. Next day the Archbishop, the Bishop of 
 Clogher, and the other priests, continued their Station 
 exercises, during the intervals assisting the island priests 
 in the work of the confessional, and other duties. 
 
 The Archbishop during those days caused a bunch of 
 shamrocks from Saints’ Island, together with some of the 
 bread and ‘‘ wine ” used by the pilgrims, to be carefully 
 packed, in order that he might have the former planted in 
 the Pope’s gardens, and with the intention of submitting 
 to his Holiness a sample of the penitential fare of the 
 pilgrims. 
 
 At ten o’clock on the morning of 14th of August, 
 the distinguished visitors prepared to take their departure 
 from Station Island. The ferry-boat and three smaller 
 ones, all densely thronged with pilgrims proceeding on 
 their homeward journey, were drawn up at the quay. 
 The pilgrims remaining on the island had collected around 
 
224 
 
 ST. pateick’s puegatoey. 
 
 the quay, and all knelt down to receive the blessing of the 
 prelates. The bishop of Clogher was the first to give his 
 blessing to the kneeling multitude, next the Archbishop 
 imparted his blessing amid their tears at his departure, 
 and their fervent prayers that God might speed him 
 safely to the Eternal City. At the conclusion of his 
 Grace’s benediction, the boats put off from shore, and the 
 pathetic “ Farewell Ode to Lough Derg ” was sung by one 
 of the priests, the refrain being taken up by every voice in 
 the escort. Next, the Magnificat was chanted by the 
 prelates, the priests responding at every alternate verse; 
 and, by the time its last words were dying away on the 
 stilt waters of the lake, the ferryhouse was reached, and 
 after the most cordial leave-taking the good prelates with 
 their party bade farewell to the ‘‘ Holy Island.” 
 
 During his stay at Station Island, the Archbishop of 
 Toronto addressed to his Vicar-General, Very Rev. P. F. 
 Rooney, St. Mary’s Church, Toronto, two letters, detailing 
 the exercises of the pilgrimage. Those admirable letters 
 were published in the Dublin Freeman’s Journal of 
 20th and 2Ist of August, in that year. They show how 
 fully he had mastered all the details of the pilgrimage, and 
 they afford a vivid insight into the efiicacy of those 
 exercises for obtaining extraordinary graces and favours 
 from God. 
 
 Before quitting Station Island, Dr. Lynch suggested the 
 propriety of forwarding a copy of Lough Derg and its 
 PilgrimageSy then recently published, to the Holy Father. 
 Accordingly, a copy, richly bound, and with the Papal 
 arms embossed on its cover, was sent by his Grace, who 
 notified its acceptance in a letter prefixed to this edition. 
 
 During the stay of Archbishop Lynch at Lough Derg, 
 the project, for a long time under consideration, of erecting 
 a Hospice on the island for the accommodation of pilgrims. 
 
LOUGH DERG. 
 
 225 
 
 especially those of the better class, was finally decided 
 upon. The contributions promised at the preliminary 
 meeting included £100 from the bishop of Clogher, Arch¬ 
 bishop Lynch £20, Father Collier, P.P., St. Agatha’s, 
 Dublin, £5, and several smaller sums. It was also con¬ 
 sidered advisable that the prior, Very Rev. James M‘Kenna, 
 should visit some of the more prominent places of pilgrim¬ 
 age in England and on the Continent, particularly Holywell, 
 Lourdes, and Paray-le-Monial, and closely examine the 
 inns, or hospices there erected for the accommodation of 
 pilgrims, with the view of utilising the information so 
 obtained towards designing a similar institution for Lough 
 Derg. 
 
 Father M‘Kenna embarked on this mission on 12th Septem¬ 
 ber, 1879. After a month’s absence he returned, and, with the 
 knowledge thus obtained, he prepared the plan and details of 
 the Hospice, and actually commenced building operations early 
 in the following Spring. Owing to careful superintendence of 
 the work by the prior in person, the cost of the Hospice was 
 but £2,000. In the estimation of persons best qualified to 
 form an opinion, the structure is regarded as well worth 
 £3,000 at least. 
 
 The Hospice is a large three-storied, conventual, double 
 building. It consists of a centre building, 100 feet long by 
 20 feet wide, flanked by two wings, each 34 feet by 20 feet; 
 the height of the main building and of the wings being 21 feet 
 from the basement to the level of the eaves. From its four 
 long corridors open on either side the rooms or cells of the 
 pilgrims, commanding from the windows exquisite views of 
 lake and mountain. 
 
 The appointments of the Hospice are as follows:—The main 
 house is altogether devoted to cells and dormitories. The 
 wings to waiting rooms, refection rooms and dormitories in the 
 attics. The house is divided into two equal departments, one 
 for males, and the other for females. It comprises 24 bed- 
 
 P 
 
226 
 
 ST. PATRICK’S PURGATORY. 
 
 rooms, 4 dormitories, capable of containinpf 104 beds, 2 refection 
 rooms, 2 waiting rooms and 2 kitchens, with all other necessary 
 accommodation. It will thus be seen that the two separate 
 departments, that of the males and that of the females, though 
 under the same pile, are yet each quite distinct, and each fully 
 supplied with equal accommodation. The Hospice is presided 
 over by a matron with a suitable staff of servants, and all 
 under the supervision of the prior. 
 
 It may interest many to learn that most of the stones used 
 in the building were collected around the shore of the lake and 
 islands j 10,000 tons of stones were thus provided, the boat 
 used for the purpose carrying 4 tons in each load. 4,000 tons 
 of sand were similarly boated across from the lake-shore at 
 Trabane, i.e. the white strand; 2,000 barrels of lime were also 
 used in the building, and this was drawn from Pettigo. 100 
 tons of cut-stone were conveyed by train upwards of forty 
 miles from the Brookeborough quarries. Many of the Protes¬ 
 tant farmers of Templecarne parish assisted their Catholic 
 neighbours in carting the materials for the Hospice from the 
 railway station at Pettigo. 
 
 The prior had not proceeded far in his preparations for 
 erecting the Hospice, when he found indications of the 
 coming storm, which threatened to burst upon his devoted 
 head. In making ready the foundations he at one particular 
 corner protruded somewhat on the bed of the lake. The 
 landlord, who claimed a right of ownership not only in the 
 lough, but even in the island, resented this. In vain would 
 it be to show that in certain dry seasons, or when “ the carry- 
 mouth” (as the outlet of the river Derg is termed), is free 
 from impediments, the ledge of rock all round the Hospice 
 is terra firma. Hor would it anywise extenuate the fault 
 to represent that, owing to the limited area of the site, 
 hemmed in on one side by the lough, and on the other by 
 the penal cells or circles, this particular encroachment on 
 
Station Island, Lough Derg, 1886 , 
 

 I mm 
 
 t. 
 
 / V V X'' - 
 
 h- , V i’' 
 
 • . ^ , y 
 
LOUGH DERG. 
 
 227 
 
 the water was unavoidable. The landlord’s proprietary 
 rights, though there be question of only a few feet of 
 debatable land or water, must be maintained; and so, after 
 some desultory correspondence, the issue was knit between 
 the plaintiff, Sir John Leslie, and the defendant. Most Rev. 
 James Donnelly. Accordingly on the 12th of January, 
 1881, a writ of summons and plaint was issued against 
 defendant in which plaintiff claimed ‘‘ £200 damages for 
 wrongfully entering the plaintiff’s land of Station' Island, 
 Lough Derg, in the county of Donegal, and depositing earth 
 and materials there, and in the said lough, and building 
 thereon. And for an injunction restraining the defendant 
 from continuing to deposit earth and materials there, and 
 from building thereon, and the committal of other injuries of 
 a like kind relating to the same right.” In this proceeding 
 the venue was fixed in Fermanagh, and the trial was to 
 come off at the ensuing March assizes before Baron 
 Fitzgerald and a Fermanagh special jury. 
 
 The defendant moved that the venue be changed to 
 Donegal, the county in which the action lay, and ulti¬ 
 mately it was so fixed, the trial to come off at Lifford at 
 the following summer assizes. The bishop, fully con¬ 
 vinced that the Leslies had no valid title to the island, 
 was still apprehensive of the result of a trial in court, 
 being well aware how readily forgotten Statutes are raked 
 up and decisions rendered in the landlord’s favour in such 
 cases. He secured competent legal talent * to defend the 
 rights of the Catholics of Ireland to their cherished pil¬ 
 grimage. All the preliminary work entailed no small bill 
 
 * Defendant’s solicitor was Mr. James Riordan of Omagh, who spent 
 months in hunting up documents bearing on the case, and in investigat¬ 
 ing title-deeds, etc. A strong Bar were also engaged, including 
 A. M. Porter, Q.C. (now Master of the Rolls), special, at 100 guineas 
 retainer; William M‘Loughlin, Q.C. ; M. Drummond, B. L., and E. O’D. 
 M‘Devitt, B.L., Esquires. 
 
228 
 
 ST. patkick’s purgatoky. 
 
 of expenses; for not only had the lawyers to be fee’d, but 
 ancient records had to be investigated and copied, scien¬ 
 tific men employed to enlighten the jury on the points 
 at issue, and a host of witnesses from a distance to be 
 brought up. On Saturday, July 16th, the case was about 
 to be called, when defendant’s solicitor came to him 
 stating he was empowered by Sir John’s counsel to 
 propose the terms of a settlement. The terms being, 
 1st, that Sir John withdrew all claim to the Island, and 
 2nd, that he was prepared to give a lease for 999 years of 
 that portion of the water upon which the hospice abutted 
 at 1 shilling per year, if demanded. 
 
 The question of costs had not been as yet discussed. 
 After considerable consultation, all the priests present 
 urging upon him the advisability of accepting the terms, 
 the bishop acceded. Meanwhile Mr. M'Loughlin, Q.C., 
 explained the case to us from a legal point of view, 
 showing the advantages to be secured under the proposed 
 settlement. The agreement was made a rule of court, 
 duly signed by the landlord’s representative and agent, 
 Mr. James M^Cullagh, and by the bishop, the costs of 
 each side to be borne by each side respectively. A writer, 
 Mr. Wm. D. Kelly, in the Ave Mariay thus sums up the 
 result:—“ Of course everybody conceded the result to be 
 a signal triumph for Dr. Donnelly. Had he shown the 
 least irresolution or wavering, the probabilities are that 
 the Leslie claim would have been pressed ; in which case 
 the Catholics of Ireland might have been deprived of one 
 of their oldest, holiest, and most popular places of 
 pilgrimage.” 
 
 The present venerated Bishop of Clogher, Most Eev. 
 Dr. Owens, in his panegyric on the occasion of the month’s 
 mind of his predecessor, referring “ to the attempt made to 
 usurp the inalienable rights of this ancient see, and to 
 
LOUGH DERG. 
 
 229 
 
 cripple the freedom and independence of Lough Derg/’ 
 truly says:—“ If the fame of the pilgrimage is more 
 widely known to-day, if its name is more deeply vener¬ 
 ated, its penitential austerities more appreciated and. 
 more frequented than at any period in modern times, the 
 result is due to his influence and fostering care, aided, no 
 doubt, by the hearty and generous co-operation of zealous, 
 hard-working priests.” 
 
 If the bishop and priests of Clogher did their part in 
 this contentious and costly suit, as it must be conceded 
 they did nobly, the laity of the diocese, too, deserve a large 
 measure of praise for the munificent collection contributed 
 by each parish in the diocese, as the accompanying list 
 will testify:— 
 
 DIOCESE OF CLOGHER. 
 
 PAROCHIAL COLLECTIONS 
 
 TO MEET COSTS OF LOUGH DERG LAW-SUIT—BALANCE TO GO TOWARDS 
 
 THE HOSPICE. 
 
 Parish. 
 
 Monaghan —Revs. M. Martin, Adm., £2, P. Smith, £2, 
 J. M‘Kenna, £2, 
 
 Glontibret —Revs. P. Farnan, Adm.,£l, L. Keenan, £1, 
 J. Griffin, £1, 
 
 Aughabog —Revs. B. Duffy, P.P., £1, J. Meegan, 
 Adm., £1, 
 
 Aughnamullen East— ... 
 
 Aughnamullen West —Revs. F. M‘Kenna, P.P., £1, 
 A. M‘Learney, £1, 
 
 Aughavay —Rev. W. M‘Quaid, £3, 
 
 Aughintain —Rev. T. M‘Nulty, P.P., £1, ... 
 
 Black bog— 
 
 Carrickmacross —V. Rev. Dean, £3, Rev. E. M‘Mahon, 
 
 £ 1 , ... ... ... ... ... ** 
 
 Cleenish —V. R. Canon M‘Quaid, £2, 
 
 Clogher —Revs. B. Duffy, P.P., £2, Luke Bogue, £1, 
 Clones —-V. Rev. Canon Smollen, £2, Rev. J. Woods, £1, 
 CuRRiN —Rev. P. Donnelly, P.P., £1, 
 
 T? vr< .t.v— 
 
 Donagh— Revs. J. M‘Genniss, P.P., £1, J. M‘Meel, 10s.', 
 Donaghmoyne — V. Rev. Canon M‘Mahon, £2, Revs. P. 
 
 Carvill, 10s., L. Gaughran, 10s., 
 
 Donecavy —V. Rev. Canon Cassidy, £2, Rev. P. Callan, 
 
 £ 1 ,. 
 
 £ s. d. 
 
 Total 
 
 62 
 
 5 
 
 0 
 
 ff 
 
 21 
 
 4 
 
 10 
 
 99 
 
 7 
 
 6 
 
 6 
 
 99 
 
 4 
 
 9 
 
 0 
 
 99 
 
 9 
 
 0 
 
 6 
 
 99 
 
 9 
 
 8 
 
 4 
 
 99 
 
 8 
 
 9 
 
 6 
 
 99 
 
 8 
 
 11 
 
 6 
 
 99 
 
 19 
 
 0 
 
 0 
 
 99 
 
 13 
 
 1 
 
 6 
 
 99 
 
 15 
 
 13 
 
 3 
 
 99 
 
 16 
 
 6 
 
 0 
 
 9 9 
 
 6 
 
 10 
 
 0 
 
 99 
 
 10 
 
 0 
 
 0 
 
 99 
 
 9 
 
 6 
 
 Q 
 
 99 
 
 15 
 
 6 
 
 6 
 
 *9 
 
 10 
 
 1 
 
 3 
 
230 
 
 ST. Patrick’s purgatory. 
 
 Dromore —V. Rev. Canon M‘Kenna, £20, Rev. B. 
 O’Mahony, ]0s., 
 
 Drummully —Rev. H. Ward, P.P., £1, 
 
 Drumsnat and Kilmore —Revs. P. Byrne, P.P., £1, 
 T. Conlon, 10s., 
 
 Ematris— Rev. M. Melly, P.P., £1, 
 
 Enniskillen —V. Rev. Archdeacon, £2, Rev. E. 
 M'Kenna, £1, 
 
 Errigal Truagh —Rev. D. O’Connor, P.P., £5, Revs. 
 
 M. M'Glone, £1, E. Slevin, 10s., 
 
 Eskra —Revs. L. E. Leonard, P.P., £1. T. M'Ardle, £1, 
 Garrison— Revs. J. Kelly, P.P., £1, P. O’Neill, £1, ... 
 Inniskeen— 
 
 Innismacsaint —Revs. J. Tierney, £1, R. Delaney, £1, 
 Killanny —Rev. Thomas Murphy, Adm., £1, 
 Killeevan —Revs. M. Traynor, P.P., £1, J. Gallagher, 
 10s., 
 
 Kilskerry —V. Rev. Canon Clilford, £5, Rev. E. 
 Geraghty, £1, 
 
 Magheracloone —V. Rev. Canon Hoey, £1, Rev. J. 
 M‘Carney, 10s., 
 
 Maguiresbridge —Revs. J. Cassidy, P.P., £1, P. 
 M'Ginity, 10s., 
 
 Muckno —V. Rev. Dr. Bermingham, £1, Rev. P. 
 M‘Connan, £1, 
 
 Pettigo —Revs. J. M'Kenna, P.P., £5, P. Byrne, £1, ... 
 Rosslea —V. Rev. Canon Duffy, £1, Revs. P. M'Cabe, 
 10s., P. M‘Kean, 10s., 
 
 Tempo —The P.P., £1, Rev. Eugene Traynor, £1, 
 Tullycorbet —V. Rev. Canon O’Neill, £1, Rev. J. 
 M‘Elroy, 10s., 
 
 Tydavnet —Revs. J. Shiel, P.P., £1, M. Duffy, 10s., 
 
 T. Cummins, 10s. 
 
 Tyhollan —Rev. J. Bartley, P.P., £1, 
 
 Whitehill —Revs. H. Maguire, P.P., £2, P. M'Vicker, 
 
 £ 1 ,... ... ... ... ... ... 
 
 Total 
 
 f f 
 ff 
 
 y* 
 
 yy 
 
 yy 
 
 yy 
 
 yy 
 
 yy 
 
 yy 
 
 yy 
 
 yy 
 
 yy 
 
 yy 
 
 yy 
 
 £ s. d, 
 42 0 
 11 10 0 
 
 15 18 5 
 8 1 () 
 
 52 2 0 
 
 31 4 9 
 
 7 0 0 
 8 0 1 
 10 5 0 
 18 17 6 
 
 4 10 0 
 
 10 6 7 
 24 0 (> 
 8 12 0 
 
 8 15 0 
 
 9 15 0 
 20 13 2 
 
 15 0 0 
 7 7 0 
 
 10 11 2 
 
 14 0 0 
 
 5 0 0 
 
 15 0 0 
 
 Total amount of Parochial Collections, ... £010 17 10 
 
 MICHAEL MARTIN, Adm., Secretary. 
 
 Monaghan, 15th October, 1881. 
 
 The Hospice, though almost completed during the 
 summer of 1881, was not open for the reception of pil¬ 
 grims until the following Station Season of ’82. The 
 Sisters of St. Louis of the Monaghan Convent, with a 
 charity redounding to their credit, generously undertook 
 the duty of looking after the wants of the pilgrims in the 
 Hospice for the first few seasons, and for that purpose 
 
LOUGH DERG. 
 
 231 . 
 
 some of the good Sisters took up a temporary residence on 
 the island. Besides ensuring careful attention to the 
 pilgrims in the Hospice, and providing for its orderly 
 discipline and good management, they took charge of the 
 adornment of the altars for Mass and Benediction, and 
 conducted the island choir with the utmost satisfac¬ 
 tion. 
 
 In the early part of July 1882, the Hospice being now 
 fully completed and furnished, word arrived that the 
 Archbishop of Toronto was about to pay a second visit to 
 the shrine of his affection. On the 7th of that month, 
 his Grace, joined by the bishop of Ciogher, and accom¬ 
 panied by several priests, ecclesiastical students, and a 
 large body of lay pilgrims, proceeded by the Bundoran 
 Junction to Petti go, and soon they arrived at the shore of 
 the lake, where they were met by the island boat, which 
 quickly landed them on the island. When they had 
 prayed for some time before the Blessed Sacrament in 
 St. Patrick's Church, their first care was to inspect the 
 new Hospice. 
 
 On the following day the Statue of ‘‘ Our Blessed Lady 
 of Lough Derg,” executed in white Italian marble by 
 Mr. O’Neill, Dublin, and presented by two pious votaries 
 of the pilgrimage, Mr. and Mrs. John M'Caffrey of Kilmar¬ 
 nock, Scotland, was erected on a pedestal of finely-dressed 
 stone in front of the Hospice. On the same day arrived 
 the President of All Hallows Missionary College, Dublin, 
 Very Rev. Dr. Fortune, with two deacons. Rev. Charles 
 Hegarty for the diocese of Toronto, and the Rev. Andrew 
 Cassidy* for the distant mission of Wellington,New Zealand, 
 
 * The former of these died some years ago, and the latter (Father 
 Cassidy), after years of arduous labour in several missions in the Pacific, 
 returned to revisit his native land in the summer of 1894, during which 
 he paid a fond visit to the Holy Island of Lough Derg. 
 
232 
 
 ST. PATRICK S PURGATORY. 
 
 who were to be raised on the following day to the holy 
 order of priesthood by Archbishop Lynch. 
 
 Early on Sunday the 9th'of July, large numbers of 
 pilgrims might be seen making their “Station” round 
 the “beds,”and crowds were already assembling at the ferry- 
 house, the road leading from Pettigo being for the greater 
 part of the day marked by a long line of cars and pedes¬ 
 trians. So great was the assemblage that, as the ferryman 
 assured me, no less than 1,200 pilgrims and visitors were 
 ferried across during the day without the least delay, 
 disappointment, or accident of any kind. Over a dozen 
 priests had also arrived, chiefly from the dioceses of Clogher 
 and Derry. A goodly number, too, of ecclesiastical 
 students put in an appearance, some of whom the Arch¬ 
 bishop adopted, and of the number one at least is now 
 labouring fruitfully on the Toronto mission. 
 
 The Ordination Mass commenced at eight o’clock, the 
 ordaining prelate being the Archbishop. The ceremony 
 over, there was considerable crowding around the sanc¬ 
 tuary, all present being eager to receive the blessing of the 
 newly ordained priests, the proceedings lasting for several 
 hours. 
 
 A two o’clock, p.m., the clergy formed in processional 
 order in St. Patrick’s Church, and proceeded round the 
 lake side of the church, preceded by the banner of 
 St. Patrick (presented by his Grace to the sanctuary as a 
 votive offering), chanting the Litany of the Blessed Virgin. 
 They took up their position in front of the Hospice with 
 the choir. After singing the prayer proper to the occa¬ 
 sion, the Bishop of Clogher unveiled the Statue, and next 
 the Magnificat was solemnly chanted. 
 
 The Bishop of Clogher ascended the platform and 
 addressed some beautiful .sentences to the multitude, de¬ 
 claring unveiled the statue, which would long remain as a 
 
LOUGH DERG. 
 
 233 
 
 model of high religious art, finished as it was with all the 
 excellence that Irish genius could impart to it. Next 
 the Archbishop preached the sermon, in the course of which 
 he declared “a statue of the Blessed Virgin to have been a 
 necessity of the place, to serve as a continual lesson to have 
 confidence in her intercession with our Bedeemer. Other 
 statues in time would be erected; they wanted one for 
 St. Joseph, and one for St. Patrick. Ireland he regarded 
 as rich beyond all other countries in places of holy pil¬ 
 grimage. She had her holy wells, and especially her 
 holy Island of Lough Derg.’’ 
 
 Thus ended an event signalised by two ceremonies, 
 never, perhaps, before witnessed on Station Island, namely, 
 the ceremony of ordination, and the solemn blessing and 
 unveiling of a religious statue. 
 
 On the 13th of July the venerated prelates took their 
 departure from Lough Derg. Nor did the words of his 
 grace fall on inattentive ears, for, ere many years had 
 sped, the statue of the Blessed Virgin was flanked by 
 statues of St. Joseph and St. Patrick. The late bishop 
 of Clogher, whilst providing for his magnificent Cathedral 
 a wealth of marble not surpassed in any church within 
 those kingdoms, brought with him from Carrara two 
 beautiful statues of St. Joseph and St. Patrick to be 
 erected on Station Island. All the art of the sculptor 
 was lavished upon them, and the visitor is struck with 
 amazement at the delicate tracery of the lace representa¬ 
 tion as shown on the rochet of St. Patrick, not to speak 
 of other special features of excellence. St. Patrick is 
 represented in full pontificals, with his crozier in one hand, 
 and a shamrock in the other. Greatly to the bishop s sur¬ 
 prise, the artist, on hearing that the statues were intended 
 for Lough Derg, stated that he was familiar with the history 
 of St. Patrick’s Purgatory, and would consequently, out of 
 
284 
 
 ST. patkick’s pukgatoky. 
 
 veneration for it, devote all care and skill towards the 
 special perfection of the work. They were duly erected 
 and blessed by the prior on 4th of July, 1891. They 
 stand 7 ft. 2 in. in height, set upon octagon-shaped freestone 
 pedestals, and are pronounced by specialists to be second 
 to none in Ireland in point of artistic merit, their money 
 value alone being ordinarily estimated at between £200' 
 and £300 each. 
 
 Among the special benefactors of Lough Derg, the late 
 John Donegan, jeweller, Dublin, fully realised, as so few 
 have done, the importance of this pilgrimage, and its 
 claims on the generosity of the Irish race. In the 
 summer of 1858 he made a present to its sanctuary of 
 certain church requisites to the value of £170. In con¬ 
 nection with this presentation the following extract from 
 the Nation of August 14th, 1858, will be interesting :— 
 
 “John Donegan, whose munificence to the Catholic Church 
 at home and abroad ranks him among the greatest benefactors 
 to Catholicity, of whom we may be justly proud, has made the 
 following offerings to the chapel of Lough Derg—a mon¬ 
 strance, chalice, ciborium (of solid silver), cope, veil, suit of 
 vestments (cloth of gold), set of candlesticks, fine brass 
 crucifix, bookstand, missal (beautifully bound), thurible, in¬ 
 cense boat, altar linens, incense, chime of bells, brass lamp,, 
 and wax candles. The chapel on the island, such a famous 
 resort of pilgrims for many ages, stood in great want of these 
 religious requisites, and priests and pilgrims shall evermore 
 be bound to pray for this truly Catholic Irishman, whose gold 
 and silver now adorn an altar annually visited by thousands.- 
 An iascription on the sacred utensils records the name of the 
 generous benefactor, and states that they are presented to the 
 Right Rev. Dr. McNally, Bishop of Clogher, and that they 
 are to be henceforth the property of that ancient diocese, and 
 to be used in the chapel of Lough Derg.’’ 
 
LOUGH DERG. 
 
 235 
 
 The inscription on the monstrance runs thus :— 
 
 “ Presented by John Donegan of Dublin, to the Right Rev. 
 Dr. M‘Nally and his successors, to be used by the clergymen 
 officiating in the Island of Lough Derg —A.D. 1858.” 
 
 A ciborium, the gift of most Rev. Dr. M‘Nally, has the 
 following inscription :— • 
 
 “ Donum Ejpi, Cloghers. Sanctuario vulgo dido 
 
 Purgat. Sbi. Patritii, seu L. Derg. —A.D. 1851.” 
 
 And a chalice in St. Mary’s is marked on foot:— 
 
 “Lough Derg, 1857.” 
 
 A large present of altar linens and other requisites was 
 made to the sanctuary by the late Rev. Mother Beale, 
 Superioress of the Convent of St. Louis, Monaghan, who, 
 accompanied by some of the sisters of her community, 
 came here on pilgrimage about twenty-five years ago. 
 Several other kind benefactors have remembered Lough 
 Derg in their charity; and we fondly cherish the hope 
 that their bright example may be followed by others still 
 until the Sanctuar}^ of St. Patrick’s Purgatory shall have 
 regained its ancient celebrity, and taken the place which 
 it deserves amongst the celebrated places of pilgrimage 
 throughout the world. 
 
^36 
 
 ST. Patrick’s purgatory. 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 THE HEALTHFUL CLIMATE OF LOUGH DERG—PECULIAR EFFICACY 
 OF ITS STATION EXERCISES—THE PEACE AND HAPPINESS 
 EXPERIENCED IN THIS PILGRIMAGK—SYMBOLICAL MEANING 
 OF THE STATION EXERCISES—WHY THE IRISH HEART LOVES 
 LOUGH DERG—THE CHURCH OF THE PILGRIMAGE—VALEDIC¬ 
 TORY—THE pilgrims’ “FAREWELL HYMN TO LOUGH DERG.” 
 
 ^^ISITORS to Lough Derg speak in the high¬ 
 est praise of the salubrious quality of its 
 climate. Nor need this be wondered at; 
 for, situated as it is within eight or ten miles 
 of Donegal Bay, the ozone of the sea is wafted 
 over the intervening hills by the prevailing west 
 winds from the Atlantic. The sea air, tempered 
 ill its course by the mountain breezes, thus becomes 
 singularly bracing and stimulating; so much so, that, 
 during the dry, warm days of summer, the atmosphere of 
 Lough Derg is perhaps the most healthful and invigorating 
 to be found in Ireland. And to this circumstance may 
 be, to a great extent, attributed the almost total immunity 
 from sickness, which the island enjoys. 
 
 The oldest inhabitant of the locality can scarcely re¬ 
 member a death to have occurred here out of all the crowds 
 of pilgrims, many of them old, feeble and delicate, who 
 travelled long distances to the island, and there performed 
 the Station in all its rigour. Over fifty years have passed 
 since the last death took place on the island. This was 
 in the case of an aged woman, whose remains were interred 
 in the cemetery of the pilgrimage on Saints’ Island, and 
 
LOUGH DERG. 
 
 237 
 
 whose funeral was accompanied to her last resting-place 
 by all the pilgrims then “ on Station.” So genial is the 
 atmosphere that few are heard to complain of the slightest 
 indisposition while they remain here, and a medical 
 attendant’s visit to the place is an event of the rarest 
 occurrence. If this happy result be owing in some part 
 to its healthful climate, it cannot be denied that the 
 practice of mortification and penance, as here observed, 
 forms an important factor; the practice of mortification, 
 as we know, not only proving salutary to the soul, but 
 contributing, likewise, to bodily health. 
 
 Frequently does it occur that ladies and others of deli¬ 
 cate constitution, unaccustomed to toil or fatigue of any 
 sort, enter upon their Station exercises, walk barefoot on 
 the wet grass, tread in wind and rain over the hard, rocky 
 path, while making the rounds of their Station; and, 
 instead of catching a cold, or suffering in health, they 
 leave the island much improved and invigorated. 
 
 Many might regard it as impossible that the pilgrims 
 could undergo the severe ordeal of a Station on the simple 
 fare provided. Elsewhere such might be the case; but 
 here it is quite practicable. So absorbed is the mind of the 
 pilgrim in the exercise of heroic penance, that he frequently 
 forgets to look after his solitary meal of bread and “wine,” 
 or black tea, till an advanced hour in the evening. 
 
 Another characteristic of the pilgrimage is the fact that 
 the mind of the pilgrim is so taken up with the serious 
 work on hand, he loses for the time being all thought of 
 the outer world, which he has just quitted; family, friends, 
 home and business becoming for the nonce almost for¬ 
 gotten. 
 
 At this shrine a true spirit of fraternity and equality 
 prevails. Dignities, honours, wealth, education, and social 
 position find here no special distinction or acknowledge 
 
288 ST. Patrick’s purgatory. 
 
 's 
 
 ment. The prince and the peasant,* the highborn dame 
 and the lowly cottage maiden must here alike submit to 
 the Station discipline, which knows no relaxation, except 
 for sufficient cause submitted to and approved of by the 
 prior. 
 
 Elsewhere penitential austerities may have become 
 modified in accordance with the circumstances of the age, 
 but at Lough Derg the discipline of penance is as un¬ 
 changed as when St. Patrick, and the holy cenobites, who 
 imitated his extraordinary mortification, peopled those 
 cells, or beds, round which a moving line of pilgrims may 
 be seen reciting their devotions throughout the Station 
 season. The pilgrimage of Lough Derg is as unchangeable 
 as that majestic mountain barrier which perpetually senti¬ 
 nels its lake. 
 
 It is a fact, upon which all are agreed, that the devotional 
 exercises of Lough Derg possess an extraordinary efficacy 
 in securing the necessary dispositions for worthily receiving 
 the sacraments of Penance and the Holy Eucharist. Not 
 rarely, too, does it happen that persons, who have attended 
 missions or retreats elsewhere (such persons regarding the 
 mission as only a preparatory course for properly entering 
 on this pilgrimage), come here in order to secure that 
 interior happiness which its exercises are so calculated to 
 produce. Nor are there wanting many and convincing 
 reasons to show the peculiar efficacy of its exercises. In 
 the first place, that crucial test of the sanctity of a place, 
 the nonne cor nostrum ardens erat in nobis, here forces 
 itself on the mind. One feels, in this place, that he walks 
 upon holy ground; that here the prayer blessed by 
 
 * In latter years there is a perceptible falling off in the number of 
 pilgrims of the humbler classes, but more than a proportionate increase 
 in arrivals of the better-ofif classes, including many foreigners, and 
 priests of every order, with an occasional bishop. 
 
LOUGH DERG. 
 
 239 
 
 penance is certain of being heard, that here the soul is 
 allowed close converse with God, and that here God 
 enriches the pious pilgrim with copious graces. 
 
 Besides, ever}^ penitential exercise here practised in¬ 
 creases in the soul veneration for the sanctity of the place, 
 combined with love and reverence for God, the Author of 
 all sanctity. At the very outset of his Station the pilgrim 
 divests himself of his shoes, out of respect for the sanctity 
 of the place, through a spirit of penance, and in conformity 
 with the admonition given by God to Moses: “ Come not 
 nigh hither; put off the shoes from thy feet, for the place 
 whereon thou standest is holy ground.” (Exod. iii. 5.) 
 In addition to this the men wear neither hat nor cap while 
 on the island. 
 
 Again, are not the observances of fasting, vigil, and 
 prayer, as here observed, in direct keeping with the 
 constant teaching and precepts of our Divine Saviour ? 
 And where, may we ask, are those salutary precepts so 
 faithfully followed as on the holy island of Lough Derg ? 
 Need we wonder, therefore, that they are such powerful 
 helps in disposing the pilgrims for worthily receiving the 
 Sacraments ? Next, walking round the churches and 
 saints’ beds,” over the uneven surface of the rock, rough 
 stones, water-gravel, etc., does it not convey the very idea 
 of pilgrimage, and suggest very forcibly man’s mortal 
 journeying through the desert-places of this world—of this 
 
 vale of tears ”? In making circuits of the saints’ ‘‘ beds,” 
 we are reminded of the mortified and penitential lives led 
 by those great servants of God, who within those little 
 cells, or in others of similar construction, passed the day 
 in rigid penance, and during the night reposed their weary 
 limbs. The circuit of his Station also reminds the pil¬ 
 grim of that infinitely more painful journey, the Way of 
 the Cross, over which our Blessed Lord bore, for our sake. 
 
240 
 
 ST. patbick’s pubgatory. 
 
 the heavy load of the cross up the rugged ascent to 
 Calvary. And when the pilgrim stands with outstretched 
 arms in front of the cross, set in the eastern wall of 
 St. Patrick’s Church, does he not thereby signify that, 
 having renounced the devil, the world, and the flesh, he is 
 prepared to take up his cross and follow in the footsteps of 
 his Divine Master ? 
 
 By going into “ prison,” or the fast-cave, or sepulchre, as 
 it is variously termed, the pilgrim is reminded that being 
 now dead to the world and its vanities, and having buried, 
 so to sa}^ his past transgressions, he may rise again to the 
 supernatural life of grace, or to a higher degree of per¬ 
 fection. The ablution, usually performed after leaving 
 “ prison,” is expressive of the interior cleansing which the 
 penitential works of the Station and the reception of the 
 Sacraments operate in the soul of the pilgrim. 
 
 The symbolical meaning of the different exercises of the 
 Station is dwelt upon at considerable length in the little 
 handbook by “ B. D.” already referred to, and at still greater 
 length by Richardson, who gives the “Instructions,” which 
 he says were observed in his day (1727). His “Instruc¬ 
 tions” are more diffuse and circumstantial, but substantially 
 the same as those given by “ B. D.” What we have 
 already said, however, sufficiently explains how efficacious 
 they are in awakening religious sentiments in the breasts 
 of the pilgrims, in producing feelings of compunction and 
 sorrow for sin, and in worthily disposing for the Sacra¬ 
 ments. 
 
 The sermons here preached are of the most practical 
 kind, and are followed throughout by the pilgrims with the 
 most devout attention; so that we can safely say, never did 
 Gospel-seed fall on more congenial soil than is to be found 
 in the congregation assembled before St. Patrick’s Sanc¬ 
 tuary on Lough Derg. 
 
LOUGH DEKG. 
 
 241 
 
 The tolling of the island bell, summoning the pilgrims 
 to the various Station exercises, the sound of the trumpet 
 as it announces the departure of the ferry-boat, the mur¬ 
 muring of the waves upon the stony beach, the solitude, 
 desolation, and surroundings of the place,—‘‘ All kindle in 
 the soul feelings of awe and reverence, and fill it with a 
 keener sense of the power of God, and of the strict account 
 which He will require of each one, when his brief term of 
 life is brought to a close,” writes the distinguished anno¬ 
 tator of the Monasticon Hibernicon. 
 
 Seeing the peculiar efficacy of the exercises of this pil¬ 
 grimage towards renewing and increasing the spiritual 
 life, the sanctity of the place, and the graces and indul¬ 
 gences there received, what wonder is it that the eye of 
 the pilgrim is charmed, his heart elevated, his faith en¬ 
 livened, nay, even his love for holy Ireland increased, 
 when first the Island of Lough Derg meets his view ? 
 And what wonder is it that the Irish people should so love 
 this Sanctuary? We love it on account of its association 
 with the name of our National Apostle; on account of the 
 number of saints, who here practised the Gospel counsels 
 of perfection, and whose names are in benediction in the 
 Irish Church; we love it because of the traditions, which 
 enshrine it in the Irish heart; because of the numberless 
 sinners here reconciled to God, and who here “chose the 
 better part;” and finally, we love it for the numberless 
 graces here received, and the blessings it is the means of 
 obtaining for its numerous votaries, and because it excites 
 in us lofty desires of becoming more holy. 
 
 As the island has passed through times of persecution, 
 and has seen its great monastic buildings and noble churches 
 demolished in the common ruin, we need not wonder that 
 many of the glories of its worship have passed away, and 
 that its edifices until recent times have been of so unpre- 
 
 Q 
 
242 
 
 ST. Patrick’s purgatory. 
 
 teutious a character. Of late years a decided reaction has 
 set in, buildings more in keeping with the dignity of the 
 
 f 
 
 place have been erected, and the ceremonial of our holy 
 religion is latterly observed with more befitting splendour 
 and solemnity. The erection of the Hospice has been a 
 distinct advance. But a much greater work remains yet 
 unaccomplished, namely, the erection of a temple worthy 
 of the National Pilgrimage of Ireland. Visiting some 
 years ago the gorgeous Basilica crowning the rock of 
 Massabielle at Lourdes, and that stupendous votive church 
 raised by Gallia Poenitens on the summit of Montmartre, 
 we at once bethought us of that humble island chapel, 
 that did duty for Catholic Ireland at its National Pil¬ 
 grimage, and the comparison saddened us indeed. The 
 Irish Catholics over the universe will, we doubt not, 
 exclaim, “ let the reproach be no longer endured; let 
 the Irish people raise a votive temple at St. Patrick’s 
 Purgatory, worthy of our faith and nation, and where in 
 after times the children of our race may receive grace to 
 emulate the virtues of their ancestors.” 
 
 Before nearing the end, I should not forget to mention 
 that at two o’clock each afternoon the pilgrims’ boat leaves 
 for Saints’ Island, about two miles distant from Station 
 Island; and a more delightful trip can hardly be imagined. 
 During the passage, the pilgrims employ their time in 
 singing litanies and hymns, and occasionally the sound of 
 instrumental music may be heard. Having traversed 
 Saints’ Island, they start on their return voyage, spending 
 usually about an hour in this charming excursion. 
 
 From one till two o’clock being recreation hour, during 
 which the pilgrims are absent on their excursion to 
 Saints’ Island, visitors, on receiving a special permit 
 from the prior, may be admitted to the island, this 
 arrangement not interfering with the Station duties. 
 
LOUGH DERG. 
 
 243 
 
 At seven o’clock each evening, immediately after the 
 Sermon, Benediction with the Most Holy Sacrament is 
 given in St. Patrick’s Church. For this ceremony the 
 altar is richly decorated with lights, and with a profusion 
 of wild flowers gathered from the islands—woodbine, 
 variegated heath, water-lilies from islets and creeks near 
 the river Fluchlynn, ferns in great variety, purple rockets, 
 meadow-sweet and many other flowers and plants in¬ 
 digenous to those rocky islands. A choir, also, may be 
 easily improvised from among the pilgrims; and thus, 
 with the aid of the island harmonium, both Mass and 
 Benediction are generally accompanied with a fair per¬ 
 formance of sacred music. I may here observe that the 
 ceremony of Benediction, and the other ceremonies of our 
 holy religion seem to possess on this island retreat a 
 peculiar charm, and to produce a more solemn effect than 
 they do anywhere else. 
 
 We do not despair to see pilgrimages to Lough Derg 
 organised in most of the towns and parishes throughout 
 the kingdom, under the direction of the parochial clergy, 
 the same as takes place in respect of the Continental 
 places of pilgrimage. How those pilgrim processions, 
 with their religious banners and sacred emblems, and 
 headed by their clergy, would tend to quicken the pulse 
 of religion throughout the land ! In the revival of this 
 pious Catholic practice, every priest should take the 
 warmest interest, for we know what lasting fruits of 
 penance are produced by this pilgrimage, how the rough 
 stone is worn smooth by the generations who here did 
 penance, and how many a sinful, sorrow-laden heart finds 
 in this ‘‘prison” chapel and on those “beds” of stone, 
 light, grace, and consolation. Bishop Healy in his erudite 
 article, already quoted, thus eloquently expresses it:— 
 
 “ One thing is certain : this pilgrimage has done much during 
 
244 
 
 ST. Patrick’s purgatory. 
 
 the most disastrous centuries of our history to keep alive in 
 the hearts of the people the spirit of our holy faith and its 
 characteristic practices.And every priest in the neigh¬ 
 
 bouring counties knows well from experience what lasting fruits 
 of penance are to this day produced by a pilgrimage to the 
 holy island. It is, in truth, a sacred spot, that barren rock, 
 rising from dark waters, and surrounded by bleak and frown¬ 
 ing hills. The rough stone is worn smooth by the knees of 
 the generations of penitents who prayed and fasted there. 
 Many a mile they travelled, poor, toil-worn, and foot-sore, to 
 reach that lonely island. Many a bitter tear of penance was 
 mingled with the waters of the lake. Many a weary vigil 
 they passed in that “prison” chapel, or on those beds” of 
 stone. Aye, and many a darkened soul got light, many a 
 sinful, sorrow-laden heart found there abiding consolation.” 
 
 And now, after having given what little information I 
 was enabled to collect concerning the holy island of 
 Lough Derg, I shall draw to a close by praying that the 
 fame of this venerable pilgrimage may long continue to 
 increase, that its churches and other buildings may come 
 to rival the proportions and beauty of those monastic 
 buildings, which stood here during the ages of faith, that 
 crowds of votaries may long continue to find before this 
 sanctuary that interior happiness which its penitential 
 exercises are so calculated to produce, and that the pil¬ 
 grimage of Lough Derg may always remain as a channel 
 of mercy, grace and salvation to the faithful children of 
 St. Patrick. In taking leave of my subject, I cannot do 
 better than here reproduce the pathetic hymn chanted by 
 the pilgrims, as they take their departure in the pilgrims’ 
 boat from Station Island :— 
 
LOUGH DERG. 
 
 24 
 
 FAREWELL HYMN TO LOUGH DERG. 
 
 I. 
 
 “ Oh ! fare thee well, Lough Derg, 
 Shall I ever see you more ? 
 
 My heart is filled with sorrow 
 To leave thy sainted shore. 
 
 Until life’s days have passed away, 
 No pleasure can beguile 
 My thoughts from often turning 
 Back to thy sacred Isle. 
 
 II. 
 
 “St, Patrick was its founder, 
 
 At Heaven’s express command, 
 
 To cleanse away the sinful stains 
 Of his own loved Ireland: 
 
 In hopes by prayer and penance here 
 God’s mercy to secure, 
 
 Lest punishments hereafter 
 For them we may endure. 
 
 III. 
 
 ‘ ‘ He blessed with sweet devotion 
 This penitential isle ; 
 
 He chose as its director 
 St. Dabheoc, without guile ; , 
 
 While hosts of saints and hermits here 
 True happiness did find. 
 
 By leaving home and worldly joys 
 And kindred all behind. 
 
 IV. 
 
 “ Throughout each station season. 
 
 From every distant clime. 
 
 The children of St. Patrick 
 Frequent this holy shrine. 
 
 Each pilgrim here is edified 
 With piety sincere, 
 
 And here each soul is purified 
 By penances severe. 
 
240 
 
 ST. PATRICK'S PURGATORY. 
 
 V. ■ 
 
 “ But when the Holj’’ Island 
 Is fading out of view, 
 
 With tears the grateful pilgrims 
 To it the}^ bid adieu ; 
 
 Saying, ‘May its name still spread abroad. 
 Its fame grow greater still, 
 
 Its Patron Saint still honour’d be. 
 
 And crowds its cloisters fill.’ 
 
 ♦ 
 
 VI. 
 
 “ So fare you well, Lough Derg ; 
 
 Shall I ever see you more ? 
 
 Mv heart is filled with sorrow 
 To leave thy sainted shore. 
 
 Until life’s days have passed aw'ay, 
 
 With pleasure shall I dwell 
 On the happy days I spent with you. 
 
 Lough Derg, fare thee well !” 
 
 dfiniB. 
 
 Printed by Edmund Burke & Co., 6i & 62 Great Strand Street, Dublin 
 

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