"It was originally a pagan idol"
Dublin Core
Title
"It was originally a pagan idol"
Subject
Lough Derg--Pilgrimage--Magazine--Narrative
Description
An account of Lough Derg from a late-nineteenth-century pilgrim.
Creator
Matthew Russell, 1834-1912
Source
'Lough Derg: By a Recent Pilgrim', The Irish Monthly: A Magazine of General Literature Sixth Yearly Volume, p.23-4
Publisher
M.H. Gill & Son, Dublin
Date
1878
Contributor
Sponsored and digitised by Google, Princeton University Library
Rights
Public domain
Format
Article
Language
English
Type
Magazine Article
Identifier
DD_0435
Coverage
54.6153, -7.8864
References
https://archive.org/details/irishmonthlyvol01unkngoog/page/n5
Text Item Type Metadata
Text
"[Station Island] is a mere rock, rising only a few feet above the water, and apparently not much more than half an Irish acre in extent. It is about a hundred yards long, and varies in breadth from twenty to forty yards.
There is a neat church, erected four or five years ago, a commodious
dwelling-house for the three or four priests who reside on the island
during 'station time ;' and five or six lodging-houses for the penitents,
where they get some rest and refreshment during their stay, but they never dream of going regularly to bed. These houses are untenanted, and, indeed, uncared-for during the greater part of the year, hence they present a somewhat dilapidated appearance. Their owners only charge some few pence ahead per day for such accommodation as they afford. The only other building on the island is the prison chapel, which has now taken the place of the original cave called St. Patrick's Purgatory. There are also seven 'beds' of stone between the church and the 'prison.' Their position is marked with much accuracy on Ware's map of the island, drawn more than 200 years ago, and they are dedicated respectively to Saints Patrick, Bridget, Columcille, Brendan, Molaisre, Catherine, and Dabeog or Fintan; the two latter and the patron saints of the island. The Four Masters invariably call Lough Derg 'Termon Dabeog,' or the Abbey-land of St. Dabeog. These stone beds were originally little penitential cells where the saints of old spent many a weary vigil in prayer and penance. Now they are merely circular spaces paved with stone, or the naked rock, and surrounded by a low wall, about a foot and a half high."
There is a neat church, erected four or five years ago, a commodious
dwelling-house for the three or four priests who reside on the island
during 'station time ;' and five or six lodging-houses for the penitents,
where they get some rest and refreshment during their stay, but they never dream of going regularly to bed. These houses are untenanted, and, indeed, uncared-for during the greater part of the year, hence they present a somewhat dilapidated appearance. Their owners only charge some few pence ahead per day for such accommodation as they afford. The only other building on the island is the prison chapel, which has now taken the place of the original cave called St. Patrick's Purgatory. There are also seven 'beds' of stone between the church and the 'prison.' Their position is marked with much accuracy on Ware's map of the island, drawn more than 200 years ago, and they are dedicated respectively to Saints Patrick, Bridget, Columcille, Brendan, Molaisre, Catherine, and Dabeog or Fintan; the two latter and the patron saints of the island. The Four Masters invariably call Lough Derg 'Termon Dabeog,' or the Abbey-land of St. Dabeog. These stone beds were originally little penitential cells where the saints of old spent many a weary vigil in prayer and penance. Now they are merely circular spaces paved with stone, or the naked rock, and surrounded by a low wall, about a foot and a half high."
Original Format
Article
Citation
Matthew Russell, 1834-1912, “"It was originally a pagan idol",” Digital Derg: A Deep Map, accessed April 25, 2024, https://digitalderg.eu/items/show/456.