Historical Chronology

Detailed Chronology (Updated August 2011)

 

1100 - Lough Derg in possession of two islands with religious associations, a larger called Oileán na Naomh (Saints Island), and a smaller known as Station Island. Station Island had the great attraction of a cave, said to have been where Saint Patrick spent time in prayer.

1135 - Augustinian Canons in charge of Lough Derg

1153 - Knight Owein's Pilgrimage

1186 - Henry of Saltry in Huntingdonshire writes of Knight Owein's Pilgrimage and Purgatory - 150 copies of this text still survive in libraries across Europe

1346 - The Fresco, depicting St. Patrick's Purgatory at Lough Derg, believed to have been painted by an artist from Siena

1497 - Saint Patrick's Purgatory closed by order of Pope Alexander VI

1497 - Franciscans of Donegal replace the Augustinians in charge of Lough Derg

1516 - Papal Nuncio Chiericati visits St. Patrick's Purgatory

1596 - Herenach family, the Magraths held this land in trust for the Church. They secured for themselves and for their descendants in English law a personal title to what had been essentially Church property in Gaelic law.

1600 - A report by Franciscan Friar, Michael O'Cleary, making the first mention of women doing the Pilgrimage.

1632 - Under the Franciscan friars, the pilgrimage was non-violently suppressed by order of the Privy Council for Ireland

1632 - October Anglican Bishop of Clogher, James Spottiswoode, personally supervised the destruction of everything on the island.

1649 - Favourable report to Rome by Rinuccini, the Papal Nuncio

1700 - 5,000 pilgrims recorded for the season.

1704 - Act of Parliament imposed a fine of 10 shillings or a public whipping as a penalty for going to such places of pilgrimage

1780 - Patrick Murray became the first of the modern line of Priors from the Clogher Diocese.   (See Priors of Lough Derg for complete listing.)

1790 - The cave was filled in and was replaced by a chapel

1795 - The most notable disaster- a boat carrying 93 passengers sank, close to Friar's Island, a very short distance from the quay at Station Island. Only three passengers survived.

1826 - Over 15,000 pilgrims came to the Island

1846 - On the eve of the Great Famine, 30,000 pilgrims came.

1860 - The number of pilgrims had dropped to a tenth of the 1846 figure, where it remained for the rest of the century

1870 - Plenary Indulgence granted in perpetum to pilgrims by Pius IX.

1882 - New Hospice opened (now known as Mens Hospice)

1912 - Ladies Hospice completed (Demolised in 2000 to allow development of Davog House)

1925 - Foundations for new church constructed

1931 - May New Church opened. August New Church constituted a Minor Basilica by His Holiness Pope Pius XI.

1960 - Sir Shane Leslie, Glaslough, generously handed over all title to the lake and its islands to the Diocese of Clogher. This in effect left the Catholic Diocese of Clogher in secure possession of St. Patrick's Purgatory, Lough Derg.

1980 - Appointment of Rev. Gerard McSorley as Prior, succeeding Prior Sean McNaboe. Introduction of Renewal of Baptismal Promises and Way of the Cross.

1982 - Visit of the Papal Nuncio (Gaetano Alibrandi) and the Papal Nuncios to Thailand and Guatemala. Pilgrimage of the Duke of Norfolk.

1988 - Official opening of the new Women's Hostel. Faith and Light make their first pilgrimage. This marks the first group pilgrimage permitted outside of the tradtional Three Day season.

1990 - Appointment of Rev. Richard Mohan as Prior following the retirement of Monsignor Gerard McSorley.

1992 - Introduction of One Day Retreats.

Creation of a Blessed Sacrament Chapel in St. Mary's.

1997 - Pilgrimage of group from Catalonia in memory of Ramon de Perellos (1397)

1998 - Pilgrimage of Irish president, Mary McAleese

2000 - Jubliee Year commemorated by Pilgrim walk from Pettigo to Lough Derg on first day of the season

2001 - Visit of the Relics of St Therese of Lisieux

2002 - Unveilling of new millenium statue on lakeshore, Patrick the Pilgrim, sculpted by Ken Thompson, and unveilled by Brian Keenan

2003 - Russian pilgrimage to Lough Derg, led by former sacristan, Vladimir Belov.

Visit of the Hungarian Special Olympic Team, commemorating pilgrimages of George of Grissaphan (1353) and Laurence Rathold de Paszo (1411).

Restoration of St Mary's Chapel to its original 1860 form.

Lough Derg awarded Excellence Ireland Foundation Mark.

2004 - Development of Pilgrim Path along the lakeshore

2005 - Visit of Papal Nuncio for the opening and blessing of Davog House, a new Retreat Centre on the Island.

2006 - First International Pilgrimage for the Deaf is hosted on Lough Derg

2007 - First Ecumenical Day held in Davog House.

Assassination of Fr. Ragheed Ganni, a former staff member, on 3rd June in Iraq

Papal Nuncio, Archbishop Giuseppe Lazzarotto, private visit to Island

Visit of Gyula Shümeghy, First Secretary, Deputy Head of Mission, Hungarian Embassy with his wife Klana and their baby Marta.

2008 May  - First Family Day Retreat

His Excellency Most Reverend Dr. Giuseppe Leanza, Papal Nuncio to Ireland, visited the Island and was accompanied by Bishop Joseph Duffy of Clogher.

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