​Lough Derg is a special and holy place not just for our diocese but for people across Ireland and further afield. During the past nine years, Monsignor La Flynn has brought great vision to the role of Prior and built upon that vision in practical ways to ensure that this sacred space remains a special place of pilgrimage, prayer and encounter with the Lord in a world that is so much in need of authentic conversion and peace. Lough Derg has always been part of Fr La’s priestly ministry and the same can be said of his successor, Monsignor Joseph McGuinness, who I warmly welcome back to the diocese following his successful tenure as Executive Secretary of the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference. Monsignor McGuinness has not only ministered on Lough Derg each year but has written an outstanding account of its history and its relevance to the Church and the world today.

I thank Bishop Duffy for giving me the opportunity as Prior to lead the outstanding team at Lough Derg. Having worked on the island as a student and ministered there for many years as a priest, I am very conscious of the rich and ancient heritage of Lough Derg and its immense significance in the spiritual history of the Irish Church and the religious culture of Europe. It remains today a unique place of spiritual refreshment and hope, and a haven of peace and tranquillity for all who come. In the world of the 21st century its gifts are needed more than ever. I am deeply grateful for the immense work done by Monsignor La Flynn and his predecessors, who have not only guarded the richness of the spiritual heritage of Lough Derg but have also expanded the mission of the island and made it a place of welcome for all. I look forward to taking up this new challenge.

Apart from my four years on mission from Clogher to Kitui Diocese in Kenya, time on Lough Derg has been a feature of almost all my 50 years of priesthood. These past 9 years as Prior have brought me many blessings, not least in the team that I have been privileged to lead and in the countless pilgrims whom I have had the grace to accompany for some few steps along their pilgrimage of life.  I thank Bishop Larry Duffy for his personal support and encouragement to me over my tenure as Prior.  Since I first worked here as a priest in 1978, the very skyline of Station Island has changed dramatically with the building of the new hostel in the 1980s and of Davog House retreat centre that opened in 2004. More significant changes are in the additional spiritual programmes that now supplement the Lough Derg tradition, especially those that make Lough Derg accessible to younger pilgrims. While the Three Day Pilgrimage has remained faithful to its core disciplines of fast and vigil, prayer and penance, I believe that today’s pilgrims appreciate the quality of welcome and service, of liturgy and pastoral engagement that I believe are now characteristic of the Lough Derg that Monsignor McGuinness is so well placed to take forward.

A Century of Stone, Spirit and Sacred Memory 

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.

What Basilica 100 Will Offer ​  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.

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