Seavog Mountain Pilgrim Road Archaeological Survey
Lough Derg--Station Island--Archaeological survey
It is traditionally believed that a monastic settlement (DG0101-001001/005-) was founded on Saints Island in the fifth century by St. Patrick who installed Dabheoc as the first abbot. The original monastic settlement is believed to have been located on Saint's (formerly St. Dabheog's) Island. The chief concern of the monastery was to minister to the needs of the pilgrimages to the cave, known as St. Patrick's Purgatory, on nearby Station Island. Some sources suggest that the original cave had been located on Saint's Island and that the pilgrimage was later transferred to its present location (Leslie 1961, 9-10). The Lough Derg pilgrimage was famous throughout Europe in the middle ages and a large literature grew up around it (Curtayne 1962, 160-62). An ancient roadway to the pilgrimage site from the village of Pettigo passes Rathnacross ringfort (DG105-002-) and Templecarn old church and burial ground (DG105-003001/002/003-).
The roadway continues to a point on the SW shore of the lake where a wooden bridge (DG101-002-) connected it to Saint's Island. Natural boulders projecting from the lake may be the remains of the supports for this bridge.
The roadway was described in 1981 as 'This portion of the Ancient Road to Lough Derg skirts the shore. It is now in part a forestry road with forest bordering it along the S-SW' (SMR File 1981). This road appears to have been a pilgrims road connecting Saints Island on Lough Derg containing St Dabheoc's Monastery (DG0101-001005-) with the village of Pettigo located 8km to the SE. A wooden bridge (DG101-002-) depicted on the first edition of the OS 6-inch map as 'Ancient Wooden Br.' connected the roadway from the shore to Saints Island on Lough Derg. A second portion of this roadway located in the townland of Carn was described in 1981 as 'This part of the ancient roadway is now under afforestation with the exception of c. 150m adjoining the house marked on the O. S. map. Here there is a trackway c. 3m wide and bounded by a field wall on the South and a low wall c. 60cms high (and partly obscured by rising turf) on the Northern perimeter. The roadway then turned southwards (23B) on Map, and led via Carn Graveyard [DG105-003003] to Pettigo' (SMR File 1981). In 1879 this roadway was described as '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 form the most distant lands. Remains of this ancient causeway, called by O'Donovan a via strata, can still be distinctly discerned, and are marked upon the maps of the Ordnance Survey. At the present day the entire coourse 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 where it led through the mountains; and, where its way 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 of the lake, 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 the 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' (O'Connor 1879 62-3).
Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien
Archaeological Survey of Ireland
National Monuments Service, Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Ireland
21 October 2010
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence
Archaological survey summary
English
DD_0288
Station Island Archaeological Survey
Lough Derg--Station Island--Archaeological survey--Summary
It is traditionally believed that a monastic settlement was founded on the nearby Saint’s Island (formerly St. Dabheog's Island) in the fifth century by St. Patrick who installed Dabheoc as the first abbot (see DG101-001001-/002-/003-/004-/005-/006-/008-). The primary concern of the monastery was to minister to the needs of the pilgrimages to the ‘cave’, known as St. Patrick's Purgatory, on Station Island. Some sources suggest that the original cave had been located on Saint's Island and that the pilgrimage was later transferred to its present location (Leslie 1961, 9-10). The Lough Derg pilgrimage was famous throughout Europe in the middle ages and a large literature grew up around it (Curtayne 1976; Harbison 1991). Several unsuccessful attempts were made to quash the pilgrimage and include legislation, papal prohibitions, adverse propaganda and the destruction of physical structures. In 1494 a Dutch Augustinian wrote to Pope Alexander V pronouncing the site 'a sham'. The Pope subsequently ordered its closure (Harbison 1991,59). In 1497 the cave was supposedly demolished, as a 'fictitious thing', on St. Patrick's Day ... by authority of Pope Alexander VI (MacRitchie 1901, 85). However, the Annals of Ulster recorded for the year 1497 that the 'demolished' purgatory was not the real one prompting the suggestion that the Augustinian canons closed down a 'false' cave, thus conveniently allowing the pilgrimage to the original to continue (Harbison 1991, 59).
In 1632 the Protestant authorities decreed that all buildings on both Station Island and Saint's Island should be demolished and the masonry thrown into the lake because of the 'extremely abusive and superstitious' nature of the pilgrimage: this task was successfully executed by the Anglican Bishop of Clogher (Pinkerton 1857, 67-9). Despite the obliteration the pilgrimage survived and even flourished (Campbell 1789, 151), except for the subterranean purgatory element. This was replaced by an aboveground building, as indicated on the plan of the island published in 1666 (Carve 1666) and mentioned in subsequent written accounts. The pilgrimage was again closed down in the 1780s on the pretext of dangers that might befall pilgrims as a result of overcrowding (Harbison 1991, 60). Once more these measures foiled and the pilgrimage to St. Patrick's Purgatory continues to thrive into the 21st century.
The structure named ‘Caverna Purgatory’ on Carve’s 1666 map no longer exists as the entire island has been subject to continuous development and building activities over the past two centuries. The location indicated here can only be considered as indicative of its former presence on the island. Even the existing so-called penal beds cannot be considered of any great antiquity. Miscellaneous ecclesiastical remains on the island include a cross-shaft (DG101-004002-), the broken head of a cross (DG101-004003-) and a small font (DG101-004001-). (Carve 1666; Campbell 1789; Curtayne 1976; Lacey et al. 1983, no. 1592, pp. 280-2; Picard and de Pontfarcy 1985; Dowd 2015, 217-20).
Compiled by: Paul Walsh
Archaeological Survey of Ireland
National Monuments Service, Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Ireland
12 April 2017
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence
Archaological survey summary
English
DD_0193
54.6083, -7.8714