The Station; The Party Fight And Funeral; The Lough Derg Pilgrim: Traits And Stories Of The Irish Peasantry, The Works of; William Carleton, Volume ThreeCarleton, William
General
The Station; The Party Fight And Funeral; The Lough Derg Pilgrim: Traits And Stories Of The Irish Peasantry, The Works of; William Carleton, Volume Three
Carleton, William
Ireland -- Social life and customs -- Fiction
The following is extracted from Bishop Henry Jones's account, published
in 1647:
“The island called St. Patrick's Purgatory is altogether rocky, and
rather level; within the compass of the island, in the water towards
the north-east, about two yards from the shore, stand certain rocks, the
least of which, and next the shore, is the one St. Patrick knelt on for
the third part of the night in prayer, he did another third in his cell,
which is called his bed, and another third in the cave or purgatory; in
this stone there is a cleft or print, said to be made by St. Patrick's
knees; the other stone is much greater and further off in the lake,
and covered with water, called Lachavanny: this is esteemed of singular
virtue; standing thereon healeth pilgrims' feet, bleeding as they are
with cuts and bruises got in going barefoot round the blessed beds.
“The entrance into the island is narrow and rocky; these rocks they
report to be the guts of a great serpent metamorphosed into stones.
When Mr. Copinger, a gentleman drawn thither by the fame of the place,
visited it, there was a church covered with shingles dedicated to St.
Patrick, and it was thus furnished: at the east end was a high altar
covered with linen, over which did hang the image of our Lady with our
Saviour in her arms; on the right did hang the picture of the three
kings offering their presents to our Saviour; and on the left the
picture of our Saviour on the cross; near the altar, and on the south
side, did stand on the ground an old worm-eaten image of St. Patrick;
and behind the altar was another of the same fabric, but still older
in appearance, called. St Arioge; and on the right hand another image
called St. Volusianus.
“Between the church and the cave there is a small rising ground, and on
a heap of stones lay a little stone cross, part broken, part standing;
and. in the east of the church was another cross made of twigs
interwoven: 'this is known by the name of St. Patrick's altar, on which
lie three pieces of a bell, which they say St. Patrick used to carry
in, his hand. Here also was laid a certain knotty bone of some bigness,
hollow in the midst like the nave of a wheel, and out of which issue,
as it were, natural spokes: this was: shown as a great rarity, being
part of a great, serpent's tail--one of those monsters the blessed
Patrick expelled out of Ireland.
“Towards the narrowest part of the island were six circles--some call
them saints' beds, or beds of penance. Pilgrims are continually praying
and kneeling about these beds; and they are compassed around with
sharp stones and difficult passages for the accommodation of such as go
barefooted.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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