Saturday morning was sunny and bright, the perfect day to be outside. We wanted to go somewhere without having to drive too far, and on our local map we saw Lough Derg, so we thought we would give it a try. I was surprised that it is not mentioned on any of the local tourist brochures, but as it turns out, it’s not meant for the average tourist!
For you Latin scholars, the sign over the gate says, “Purgatorium Sancti Patricii,” which means St. Patrick’s Purgatory. It is referring to the island in the middle of the lake.
Statue of St. Patrick the Pilgrim
In the middle of Lough Derg is St. Patrick’s Island. On the island is a retreat center dedicated to St. Patrick, who frequented the island. Historical records indicate that the island was a holy site to the Druids, before Christianity came to Ireland, and that Christian pilgrims began visiting the island as far back as the 500’s. The current buildings can house up to 500 pilgrims, but they rarely get that many.
The center does a variety of retreats for visiting pilgrims, but they are famous for their arduous 3 day retreat. This includes 3 days of fasting, little sleep, and lots of prayer on the knees, all while barefoot (yes, even in winter). Not for the faint of heart! I’m guessing that is why they are not on the popular tourist maps. There must be so much history on the island, but it is only open for tours a few days each year, so we had to satisfy ourselves with pictures from the mainland.
The very friendly cat and dog who live in the house next to the visitor’s center.
The dog was thrilled to see children! She followed us everywhere, tail wagging.
This boat was built in 1923 by local shipbuilder, Charlie McLaughlin, right on the site where the statue of St. Patrick now stands. It was meant to hold 150 passengers heading to the island, and it was rowed by 12 men, using the oars that are hanging above it. It wasn’t until 1960 that a motorized tug began to be used to push/pull the rowboat across to the island. This rowboat was in continuous use until 1988, when a larger boat with an engine began to make the trip.
After Lough Derg, we explored some local roads that we had not been on before. We finally found the local beach! Nothing in this area is signed, unlike most of the rest of Ireland that we have visited, and none of the roads lead in a straight line to anything. This beach is about maybe 1km from the house, but we had to drive at least 10km out of our way to find it! If anyone is a science geek like me, check out the 4 different kinds of clouds in this picture!
The sand was soft and the water was warm. If only the breeze wasn’t frigid! In the middle picture you can see tractor tire marks in the sand. This must be where the local farmers cross over to the islands at low tide to tend the animals there.
These clouds looked like storm clouds, and they were approaching very fast because of the wind.
Behind us, back by the house, it still looked clear and bright, but overhead it was getting darker and darker. Time to head home! We enjoyed this peaceful day in Donegal.
Brogans Across the Pond 