pilgrimage by the Sovereign Pontiff, the Cardinal Archbishop of Benevento, subsequently raised to the Papal chair under the name of Benedict XIII., addressed a homily to his flock on the subject of St. Patrick's Purgatory. The Most Rev. Dr. Donnelly, Bishop of Clogher, when attending the sessions of the Vatican Council in 1870, saw in the library of St. Clement's Dominican Convent, Rome, a copy of the sermon which Benedict XIII., while yet Cardinal, preached in praise of this pilgrimage. The sermon is classed Number 13 amongst several other sermons treating of the various purgatories, or places of purgation, throughout the world. Since the time of Benedict XIII. the devotions of this pilgrimage have been specially cherished and encouraged by the Holy See.

In the year 1748 that learned prelate of the Irish Church, Dr. Thomas De Burgo, author of the Hibernia Dominicana, visited Lough Derg, and in that work gives us his impressions of it :-" So great," he says, "are the penitential deeds performed there, that they exceed, in my opinion, those of any other pilgrimage in the world." And he adds:-"I do not relate mere matters of hearsay, but what I have witnessed with my own eyes; for I had the great happiness to visit, in the year 1748, that island, which was consecrated by the habitation and miracles of the most holy Patrick, and which still affords an illustrious example of the austere penances of the primitive ages of the Church" (Hib. Dom., p. 4, et seq.). He says that each pilgrim repeats each day the Lord's Prayer and Angelical Salutation nearly three hundred

L

times, the Apostles' Creed about one hundred times, together with the entire Rosary of the Blessed Virgin three times. He further states that the pilgrims, by going through each station, travelled over the distance of two miles.

Some time before this, the exact year is not recorded, another distinguished Irishman came here on pilgrimage. This was no less a personage than Turlough O'Carolan, "the last of the bards".

"Who erst our halls with melody did fill."

The remains of O'Carolan (as stated in Hardiman's Minstrelsy) await the final resurrection in Kilronan, the church of the Duigenan family, in MacDermott Roe's vault. In his youth the bard became acquainted with one Bridget Cruise, but he afterwards got married to Mary Maguire, of the Maguires of Tempo-once a noble and powerful family, but now quite degenerate. The well-authenticated tradition still lives at Lough Derg how O'Carolan, when old and blind, occupied the pilgrims' boat on his return from the island. At the landing-place a number of the pilgrims were eager to offer their services to the helpless one to land. O'Carolan had no sooner touched a hand, which was stretched out to guide him, than he paused for a moment, and exclaimed with emotion, "This is the hand of Bridget Cruise." And Bridget Cruise, indeed, it was, to whose praise his harp had first resounded, who stood before him, and the clasp

*For an account of his last resting-place see The Legend of Kil. ronan, by "Lageniensis" (Dollard, Dublin, 1877)..

of whose hand he had recognised, though they had not met for years! On this subject the late Samuel Lover, of facetious and harmonious memory, has written a charming song, sung to the sweetest of airs, from which I here cull the following stanza :—

"When the minstrel sat alone,

There that lady fair had gone ;
Within his hand she placed her own.
The bard dropped on his knee,

From his lips soft blessings came,

In trembling tones he named-her name,
Though he could not see.”

CHAPTER XV.

INSCRIPTIONS OF THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY AT LOUGH DERG-VOTIVE GIFTS TO THE SANCTUARY-ST. PATRICK'S CHURCH-BOAT ACCIDENTS ON LOUGH DERG-MELANCHOLY BOAT ACCIDENT OF 1795-PRIOR MURRAY-BRIEF REVIEW OF THE PILGRIMAGE DURING THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY.

E have already referred to the inscribed stones, which are set, for preservation, in the southern gable of St. Patrick's Church, on Station Island. Two of these inscriptions are given at pages 51 and 53 of this work; and from them we may reasonably conjecture that a Franciscan Friar, named Father Magrath, was Prior here in 1753. These two inscribed stones were originally placed within two of the penal "beds," or circles, on this island. Side by side with these stones, in the same wall, is placed that most ancient and most valuable inscribed stone, which is fully described in chapter viii. of this work.

In addition to these is the stone with the figure of Caoranach, in alto relievo (already referred to). Before this mythical representation a cross is inscribed, and underneath it the following inscription, in the quaint style of the period:

"Ys house

was built Fr. Anth: Do
herty for ye use of

ye Conv: of Donegal

his age 68 ye 8 Sep :
A:D: 1763."

From this it would appear that Father Anthony O'Doherty was Prior of the island at the date mentionednamely, the 8th of September, 1763. In that valuable handbook named South-Western Donegal (already referred to), we find that this same Father O'Doherty came by one of the silver chalices, which is said to have formerly belonged to the Donegal Convent, in which convent, as appears from Father Purcell's account, given by the Rev. C. P. Meehan, "there were sixteen silver chalices, all of which, two excepted, were washed with gold." On this chalice the following inscription appears:

"Fr. Ants. O'Doherty, T.S.D. procuravit
Hunc Calicem pro usu fratrum minorum
Sanctae nostrae fraternitatis

Conventus Dongaliensis."

That this chalice was used in the celebration of the Divine Mysteries at Lough Derg we can hardly doubt. In 1850 it was brought to America by the Rev. John Donnelly, whose native place adjoined the venerable and historic churchyard of Aghalurcher, County Fermanagh.' At his death the chalice came into the possession of the Rev. Edward M'Gowan, of Penn Yann, U.S.A., who presented it to the Rev. Mr. Stephens, P.P., Killybegs, in whose keeping it now remains.