<![CDATA[Lough Derg - News]]>Tue, 28 Jul 2026 09:02:41 +0000Weebly<![CDATA[BASILICA 100]]>Wed, 15 Jul 2026 16:39:58 GMThttps://www.loughderg.org/news/basilica100A Century of Stone, Spirit and Sacred Memory 
There are moments in the life of a holy place when history pauses, draws a deep breath, and invites us to pay attention. Such a moment is fast approaching for all of us who love Lough Derg. On 15th July 2026, we will mark one hundred years since the laying of the foundation stone of Saint Patrick's Basilica — that magnificent, copper-domed crown of Station Island, rising from the dark waters of Donegal as it has done for a century, calling pilgrims home. 
It is with great joy and pride that we introduce Basilica 100 — a rich and carefully planned programme of celebrations, reflections, and events honouring this extraordinary centenary. Over the coming months and years, pieces in this newsletter will be your companion through that journey, drawing back the curtain on the history, the artistry, the faith, and the sheer human endeavour that brought this remarkable building into being.  
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 Built on the Lake Itself
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To understand what was achieved in the 1920s on Station Island, one must first appreciate the audacity of the undertaking. The large Hiberno-Romanesque Basilica enlarged Station Island, expanding over the water on stilts driven into the lake. 
This was no ordinary building project. The island, already small and ancient, could not accommodate a structure of the scale and ambition that was envisioned. And so the decision was taken to build not merely on the island, but out over the lake itself. 
Before a single stone could be dressed or a wall raised, an extraordinary feat of engineering had to be accomplished. One hundred and twenty-three concrete pillars were sunk deep into the bed of the lake — a hidden forest of foundations, unseen by many pilgrims who have since walked through those great doors, yet bearing the weight of every prayer offered within.  
The Basilica is located to the north end of Station Island and constructed principally on reclaimed land and stilts with a platform to the rear, providing a walkway around the building. These preparations, painstaking and costly, consumed the early years of the decade before the foundation stone was finally laid on that summer's day in July 1926. 
It is worth sitting with that image for a moment — workers out on the cold waters of Lough Derg, in the early years of a newly independent Ireland, pouring concrete pillar after concrete pillar, in an act of faith as much as engineering. They were not merely building a church. They were saying, to the generations to come, that this place — this ancient, storm-battered, grace-soaked island — was worth every sacrifice. 
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An Architect's Vision 
The man entrusted with this sacred commission was Professor William Alphonsus Scott, one of the most gifted architects of his generation in Ireland.  
The central octagonal section of the Basilica is based on a plan derived from San Vitale in Ravenna, a building that Scott had seen at first hand during travels to Italy in 1906. That journey to Ravenna proved providential. When Scott turned his gaze to Station Island, he carried with him the memory of one of Christendom's great Byzantine masterpieces, and he set about translating its spirit into the Donegal landscape. 
The round-headed window openings and the engaged 'round towers' with conical stone roofs that flank the main entrance give the building a Hiberno-Romanesque architectural idiom common in Catholic churches built during the first decades of the twentieth century in Ireland — a conscious desire to promote an Irish architectural identity in the new State, reaching back to the perceived golden age of the early Irish Church. 
Of particular note is the soaring and inventive octagonal central section with its pronounced hipped copper roof and two clerestory levels that help flood the impressive open interior with natural light. And flooding it with light was not merely an architectural choice — it was a theological statement. This was a house built for the glory of God, and light was its first language. 
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Within, the Basilica is adorned with rich polychromatic marble detailing and a very fine series of fourteen stained glass windows depicting the Stations of the Cross by the celebrated artist Harry Clarke (1889–1931). Clarke's windows remain among the most treasured works of sacred art on the island of Ireland — shimmering, jewel-like witnesses to the suffering and triumph of Christ, perfectly suited to a place where pilgrims have always come to unite their own suffering with His. 
  Honoured by Rome
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Dedicated to Saint Patrick, the main church on the island was built through the 1920s and honoured with the title of basilica by Pope Pius XI in 1931. 
That papal recognition was a profound affirmation — not only of the building itself, but of the unbroken tradition of pilgrimage and penance that had drawn souls to this remote Donegal lough for over fifteen centuries.  
Lough Derg can trace it’s history as a site of Christian pilgrimage back to the 5th century, and for over 1,500 years it has been a place of Christian pilgrimage and prayer. The Basilica, in this light, is not a beginning. It is a culmination — the stone-and-copper expression of a living tradition that had survived suppression, poverty, penal laws, and the indifference of centuries.  
Station Island, set within the lake and crowned by its iconic Hiberno-Romanesque Basilica, is a symbol of a renewed social and spiritual identity. 
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   What Basilica 100 Will Offer
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Over the course of the centenary years (2026-2031), Basilica 100 will unfold as a series of events touching on history, architecture, art, music, spirituality, and community. Plans are being developed for special pilgrimage days, lectures, exhibitions, and liturgical celebrations. The beginning will be the anniversary commemoration on 15th July 2026, marking one hundred years to the day since that foundation stone was laid — a day when we will gather, as pilgrims always have, on the edge of the water, to give thanks. 
In each issue of this newsletter in these years, we will go deeper: into the engineering miracle beneath the lake's surface, into the artistic genius of Harry Clarke, into the stories of the workers and priests and bishops who willed this building into existence, and into the faith of the countless pilgrims whose prayers have echoed beneath that copper dome.   
The Basilica did not fall from the sky. It was built — pillar by pillar, stone by stone, prayer by prayer — by people who believed that this ancient place deserved something worthy of eternity.

Basilica 100 is our chance to remember them, to honour what they built, and to carry it — with joy and with purpose — into the next hundred years. 
Ar scáth a chéile a mhaireann na daoine — in the shelter of one another, the people live. In the shelter of the Basilica, the pilgrims have always prayed. 
Welcome to Basilica 100.
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Full details of events and how to participate will follow in our next issue. In the meantime, we invite all Friends of Lough Derg to visit loughderg.org and to share the news of this wonderful centenary with those who hold Lough Derg close to their hearts.

*This article was originally published in the Spring/Summer 2026 edition of The Pilgrim's Friend
]]><![CDATA[Father La is interviewed by The Irish Catholic!]]>Fri, 22 May 2026 11:46:36 GMThttps://www.loughderg.org/news/father-la-is-interviewed-by-the-irish-catholic
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,Click the link below to  read Father La's interview with The Irish Catholic where he discusses what Lough Derg means to him and what to expect in the 2026, which will be his last as Prior of Lough Derg.

​Lough Derg prior urges pilgrims to make space for God as season begins - The Irish Catholic
]]><![CDATA[Lough Derg Featured on Channel 4's Tiny Islands]]>Tue, 12 May 2026 10:11:26 GMThttps://www.loughderg.org/news/lough-derg-featured-on-channel-4s-tiny-islands
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Did you catch Lough Derg on TV last night?

Station Island features in the latest episode of Our Tiny Islands on More4, giving viewers a glimpse into the unique tradition of pilgrimage that has drawn people to the shores of Lough Derg for over 1,500 years. A great watch whether you're a returning pilgrim or hoping to visit for the first time.

If you missed it, you can watch it now on the Channel 4 player:
https://www.channel4.com/programmes/our-tiny-islands

The 2026 season is open — will this be your year to experience it for yourself?

Book now at

www.loughderg.org
]]><![CDATA[The Pilgrim Path Featured in The Irish Times]]>Wed, 06 May 2026 10:52:29 GMThttps://www.loughderg.org/news/the-pilgrim-path-featured-in-the-irish-times
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Read about Bryan O'Brien from the Irish Times trip to Lough Derg to experience the  annual Pilgrim Path walk.

www.irishtimes.com/life-style/people/2026/04/11/photo-essay-in-the-footsteps-of-ancient-pilgrims-in-co-donegal/
]]><![CDATA[Lough Derg Featured in The Financial Times!]]>Wed, 06 May 2026 10:42:28 GMThttps://www.loughderg.org/news/lough-derg-featured-in-the-financial-times
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We are delighted to share a recent feature from the Financial Times, where travel writer Oliver Smith recounts his profound experience on Station Island.
You can read the article at this link
www.ft.com/content/86bf4402-af6b-403b-a9d6-a19d1b9dab5e

]]><![CDATA[Father Eamonn Conway Spirit Radio Interview]]>Tue, 21 Apr 2026 09:59:15 GMThttps://www.loughderg.org/news/father-eamonn-conway-spirit-radio-interview
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If you'd like to hear more about what makes Lough Derg so special — and why it continues to resonate with so many people, including a growing number of younger pilgrims — we'd encourage you to listen to a recent interview with Father Eamon Conway on Spirit Radio, where he speaks beautifully about the island, its history, and what draws people back year after year.

  Listen Here:    Lough Derg’s Fr Eamon Conway – Spirit Radio 
]]><![CDATA[New  Pre-Pilgrimage  Overnight  Accommodation Available on Station Island]]>Tue, 07 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.loughderg.org/news/new-pre-pilgrimage-overnight-accommodation-available-on-station-islandFor the 2026 season, Lough Derg is pleased to introduce a new   option  for pilgrims — the opportunity to stay overnight on Station Island on the evening prior to beginning either the   Three Day    Pilgrimage or a One Day Retreat. 

Background
 
The decision to offer pre-pilgrimage accommodation has come in direct response to a practical difficulty that many pilgrims have raised in recent years. The gradual decline in hotel and bed and breakfast accommodation in the Pettigo area and its surrounds has made it increasingly difficult for those travelling long distances to secure a suitable place to stay the night before their pilgrimage begins. This offering addresses    that gap directly. 

The Accommodation
 
The pre-pilgrimage accommodation is   located  on the   third floor of the ‘new’ 1988 hostel    on Station Island. The cubicles on this floor were upgraded during the winter and spring of 2025/2026 and offer a modest step up from the standard hostel accommodation that regular pilgrims will already be familiar with. The upgrade is straightforward — improved comfort and a greater degree of privacy — while   remaining  entirely in keeping with the simple character of life on the Island. 
It should be noted clearly that this is not hotel accommodation. The essential simplicity that defines Station Island is   maintained  fully. 

Meals
 
Dinner is included for all pre-pilgrimage overnight guests, whether arriving ahead of the   Three Day  Pilgrimage or a One Day Retreat. Those staying the night before a One Day Retreat will also receive breakfast the following morning, in keeping with the fact that the One Day Retreat does not involve fasting. Pilgrims arriving the evening before beginning the   Three Day   Pilgrimage will, of course,   commence  the Lough Derg fast in the usual way at midnight. 

How to Book 

Pre-pilgrimage accommodation can be booked   by contacting the office directly by email   info@loughderg.org  or by phone   +353 (0) 71 986 1518. Places on the third floor are limited, and early booking is advised.
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The introduction of this accommodation reflects the ongoing effort to remove practical barriers for pilgrims while preserving, without compromise, the nature and spirit of the pilgrimage itself. The staff at Lough Derg look forward to welcoming pilgrims to the Island — and now, for those who need it, to welcoming them an evening earlier. ]]><![CDATA[Young Adult (18-35) Retreat Day]]>Mon, 09 Mar 2026 11:11:29 GMThttps://www.loughderg.org/news/koscyoungadultretreat2026IN THE STILLNESS: Faith in a Busy World

Saturday  25th April 2026 -  10am-4.30pm

Free event, sponsored by the Knights of Saint Columbanus

RESERVE YOUR PLACE HERE
In a busy world, finding stillness is a deliberate act of faith, allowing individuals to surrender anxieties, hear God’s voice, and gain perspective. Stillness is not mere inaction, but a grounding, trusting, and intentional practice to combat chaos, fostering spiritual growth, peace, and deeper intimacy with God.
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