Lough Derg
St Patrick’s Purgatory at Lough Derg in County Donegal has been a place of prayer and welcome since the sixth century.
Monastic hospitality and robust prayer in the Irish monastic tradition is offered to those who “make the pilgrimage” in their bare feet, keeping vigil and eating one simple meal for three days during the pilgrimage season.
Pilgrims follow the example of Christ and the apostles who got into the boat and made a journey to a place for prayer, fasting and renewal.
Here the rhythm of prayer in Glendalough, on the Skelligs and at Clonmacnois have been maintained unbroken across the centuries.
Lough Derg is a place of welcome for all, offering nourishment for life’s journey.
There are no outsiders here: in bare feet, everyone is equal. If you are seeking time out from the daily grind of the everyday, then ‘come to this quiet place, and rest for a while’.