“…[T]here were times, some of which are fresh in my memory, when the pilgrims' boat ran considerable risk from the waves, and when the skill and energy of such experienced boatmen as Pat M'Kane, of Seeavoc, were taxed to the utmost..."
"Pettigo. (July 23, 1824). A country road leads in this direction a mile: after leaving which we passed over the mountains following a path, which the number of devotees who visit the Island, had marked too distinctly to be mistaken..."
"Ballyshanny. (Nov. 1, 1835.) I visited the far-famed terrestrial Purgatory of Lough-Derg but received no benefit from my tours except a severe cold, which I attribute more to the wet mountain bogs that surround the Lake..."
"I remember a strange Easter Sunday spent on Saints' Island, not indeed with any hope of finding archaeological confirmation of its history, but simply in communing with the past..."
"Occasional freakish summer storms are peculiar to Lough Derg. Pilgrims often alighting at the shore on a tranquil summer day are often surprised at the unexpected commotion of the deeps and the dark yeasty appearance of the water..."
