07 Jan Lough Derg Pilgrimage
This is a Catholic pilgrimage long regarded as the most difficult pilgrimage in Christendom. A real hidden gem if you want to experience that sort of thing.
It is a journey to Saint Patricks Purgatory , or Station Island , in County Donegal.
If you are on Ireland tours and wish to participate then it takes place between June 1st and August 15th each year.
The pilgrims spend 3 days on the island and perform a series of penances , including vigils and fasting.
It was a widely popular relegious practice before the Great Famine ( 1845 – 1851 ) but was transformed betwen 1850 to 1875 during the Irish devotional revolution. This condemned indigenous relegious practices in an effort to normaliize Irish Catholicism.
Worth a thought on any tours of Ireland ?????