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In the middle of Lough Derg (Red Lake) is a rocky islet known as Station Island or, more popularly, St Patrick's Purgatory, which has long served as a retreat for Catholics needing rigour and solitude to recharge their faith. A national shrine of pilgrimage since the fifth century, it was described by Girardus Cambrensis in Topography of Ireland (1186) as "an island, one part of which is frequented by good spirits, the other by evil spirits." Contemporary scholars have argued that as St Patrick never referred to Lough Derg in his writings he probably never visited the island, but nevertheless it still thrives today as a strong centre for pilgrimage (especially from June to August). Participants in the three-day retreats go without sleep and food (apart from black tea and toast) and walk barefoot over rocks, praying at stations of the cross. One-day retreats are less austere. The island cannot be visited for any other reason, though some casual travellers and non-believers do get some sort of stimulation out of passing through this ancient ceremony. Despite the exigencies, it seems particularly popular with Irish students studying for exams - or waiting for the results. Station Island , a collection by Seamus Heaney, contains a number of poems dealing with the mystique surrounding this ritual. If you're interested in participating, contact the Prior (tel 072/81518). The island is approached via the R233 from PETTIGO , six miles south. A bus from Ballyshannon or Enniskillen will drop you in Pettigo village, where there's a small interpretive centre explaining the island's background (March-Oct 9am-5pm; GBP2/?2.53). Pettigo also has a remarkable number of pubs for such a small village, suggesting an importance placed on spiritual nourishment of a rather different kind.
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