The quality of Lough Derg's road access

The quality of Lough Derg's road access

Lough Derg--Ireland--Journal--Guide

A description of Lough Derg and its Pilgrimage in the American Donahoe's Magazine

Lough Derg and Its Pilgrimages', in Donahoe's Magazine, vol. 4, p. 307-8

T.B. Noonan, Boston

1880

Digitised by Google, sponsored by University of Wisconsin-Madison, archived on Hathi Trust digital library

Public domain

Article

English

Journal

DD_0498

54.5494, -7.8320

https://hdl.handle.net/2027/wu.89069291375

"A good road leads from Pettigo in the direction of Lough Derg ; but, when within about half a mile from the lake (through whose fault I do not inquire, though it certainly redounds but little to the credit either of the local magnates or of the Donegal grand jury), the road stops short at the mountain-side, and the pilgrim has to enter on a boggy path, which in wet weather baffles description. And yet these pilgrims pay their share of county taxes, and the island itself is also assessed. And, again, these pilgrims pay a tax of eightpence each to the lord of the soil for permission to cross the haunts of the hare and moor-fowl, and thence to be ferried to Station Island ; and for these no road has been hitherto allowed, even at the public expense. Verily might we here moralize with Burns on ‘man's inhumanity to man’ ; but we will rest content with asking, if it were the merest Protestant conventicle of which there was question, would this condition of things, think you, be allowed to continue for a single day ? At length, I understand, an effort has been made to have this track converted into a good county road, and thus the old reproach will be finally got rid of."

60 v. ; ill. (part col.) ; 24 cm.