Full immersion at the water station

Full immersion at the water station

Lough Derg--Station Island--Pilgrimage--Immersion

"After quitting the prison, and before leaving the island, it was formerly the practice to go into the water, and, being stark naked, wash their whole bodies, and more particularly the head, to signify that they were entirely cleansed from their sins..."

Philip Dixon Hardy, 1794-1875

Hardy, Philip Dixon, The Holy Wells of Ireland : Containing an Authentic Account of Those Various Places of Pilgrimage and Penance Which Are Still Annually Visited by Thousands of the Roman Catholic Peasantry. With a Minute Description of the Patterns and Stations Periodically Held in Various Districts of Ireland, p. 7

Hardy & Walker, Dublin

1840

Digitised by archive.org, sponsored by Boston Public Library

Public domain

Monograph

English

Holy wells

Text

DD_0010

54.609062, -7.871015

http://archive.org/details/holywellsofirela00hard

"The time of remaining on the Island has, in latter times, been reduced to three days — and the period of confinement in the prison to twelve hours. After quitting the prison, and before leaving the island, it was formerly the practice to go into the water, and, being stark naked, wash their whole bodies, and more particularly the head, to signify that they were entirely cleansed from their sins. This part of the ceremony is now dispensed with."

Monograph text