"A very strange Story hath been invented"

"A very strange Story hath been invented"

Lough Derg--Protestant critique--Treatise--Purgatory

A critique of St. Patrick's Purgatory and Catholic pilgrimage in general.

John Richardson, 1664-1747

The Great Folly, superstition and idolatry of Pilgrimages in Ireland, especialy of that to St. Patrick's Purgatory: together with an account of the loss that the publick sustaineth thereby, truly and impartially represented, p. 2

J. Hyde, Dublin

1727

Digitised by Collections numérisées - Université de Rennes 2

Public domain

Monograph

English

Religious treatise

DD_0463

54.6083, -7.8714

"To raise the Imaginations of those who resort to it, and to make them more susceptible to terrifying Ideas, a very strange Story hath been invented, and goes for current, concerning the Reason by instead of Fin-lough, that is, the White Lake, it was called Lough-Derg, or the Red Lake. Bolar Beman, a Gyant, and an Irish King (as some say) in the Days of yore, having neglected to perform some mighty Feat, which he had engaged to do in this Life-time; Conan, another Gyant, (the son of Fin Mc Cuil the great Champion of Ireland) finding a little worm in one of his Jaw-bones, threw it into Finlough, where it grew so big within 24 hours, that the whole Lake could hardly contain it. This Monster, called by the Natives Caoranach, would suck Men and Cattle into its Mouth at a Miles Distance, and becoming by this attractive Quality so very pernicious to the Country, that no one durst come near the Lake; at last they came to a Composition, and obliged themselves to send a certain Number of Cattel, to be devoured by it every Day."

Monograph