St Patrick's Purgatory

This is not a visitor attraction and cannot be treated as one. Station Island on Lough Derg has been a place of penitential pilgrimage since at least the twelfth century, when accounts of a cave here as an entrance to purgatory circulated across Europe and drew pilgrims from as far as Hungary; it appears in medieval literature and on early maps of Ireland. The three-day exercise, still performed, requires arriving fasting, going barefoot for the duration, keeping a complete twenty-four-hour vigil without sleep, taking one meal a day of dry bread and black tea, and walking a set series of prayer stations on the stone beds - the foundations of early monastic cells. It is physically demanding and is done for religious reasons. Shorter one-day retreats are also offered. Booking is required for everything; there is no casual visiting and no access to the island otherwise.

History

Legend dates the site to the 5th century, when Christ is said to have shown Saint Patrick a cave, an entrance to purgatory, to help him convince doubters. Its medieval importance is clear from texts that mention it from as early as 1185 and from maps across Europe that show it from the 15th century, and it is the only Irish site marked on Martin Behaim's world map (Wikipedia, St Patrick's Purgatory).

The main sights

• The three-day exercise - barefoot, fasting, with a full night's vigil.
• The stone beds - early monastic cell foundations walked as prayer stations.
• The medieval reputation - a purgatory entrance known across Europe.
• The island - reached only by the pilgrimage boat, with no casual access.

When to go

The three-day pilgrimage runs from June to mid-August; one-day retreats run at other times in the season. Everything must be booked in advance.

Before you go

Not open to sightseers - there is no way to visit the island casually. The pilgrimage is physically hard: barefoot walking, one meal a day, and a full night without sleep. Undertake it for its purpose or not at all.

Nearby

Pettigo village is the mainland access; Donegal town and Lower Lough Erne are either side.

Key facts