The Irish standard., 1905-09-09

three days and nights, and the devo-
tons prescribed arc long and trying,
and they include one night in prison.
which signifies night OF watching and
prayer in the chief chapel oi the island.
The pcnitcnt uncovcrs head and feet on
entering the island and beginning his
pilgrimage. and dons not hat or
shoes again until his pilgrimage is
concluded. He Cor shc) tastes but one
meal in the twcniy-iour hours, a meal
ci "alrn cake. or white bread with
butter and tea without milk. Water
is allowed ad libitum. The water of
the lake whicl, is possessed OF health
tut mineral properties is boiled and
sugar added. and is served round under
the i|attcrllg name of "wine"-and
plrutilnlly partakcn Of
.Alter a tcndcrlootcd pilgrim has
walked and knclt the rounds OF the
hall-do<cH pcnitcntial beds on the is
land, and at each weary round and
each knccling, prayed all the prcscrib-
cd prayers, lie finds seat upon the
little green knoll on the islands CEN
ter, and a elraught OF the islands wine,
very refreshing indeed, and pleasant
chat with his ncighbor from Con-
na,1ght or California, Dublin or New
Zealand. is Il something not to be de-
spiscd; for, on this little green knoll
Ill grades OF society, and from many
corners of the world, meet and mingle
without form. without introduction,
without restraint 1t is one of the
most democratic spots on the round
globe
1t happens. too, that boys and gi:1s
OF imprcssionabc years are here by
fate brought together for the first time,
and that a friendship which grows tc
something greater, here springs up.
There are many and many married
couples in lrcland-and some outsid.
"f ireland. too-wllo first came to-
gcthcr i'll Loch Dcarg. The day is
pretty well filled with dcvotions and
walking OF the pcnitcntial BEDS and
the night also-but there are many in
tcrvals of relaxation when the social
instinct is allowed freely to assert it.
self.
St. Patrick, it is said used in his
day to retire into a cavern in this is
land for prayer and penance; to honor
his memory pilgrimage to it was es-
tabishcd very soon after his death
a pilgrimage that has proceeded almost
,mintcrruptcdly to the present day.
Cromwell's soldiers interrupted it fc-
few years, and the minions OF Queen
Anne also This pilgrimage of St. Pat
rlck's purgatory was one of the most
famous in Europe in the middle ages.
Historical records show that many Eu-
ropcan princes and mobiles with great
rctInucs came on pilgrimages to it from
time to time. Froissart tells in his
chronicles" OF visits made to it bv
great men. There was an Italian
romance written about it which had
great vogue in the middle ages, and
which was translated into several lam
guagcs; while written accounts of pil-
grimagc to it were common to the con-
tlnental litcratures of Europe four hum
dred years ago.
In "Orlando Furioso" the hero in
his wandering is brought to this place
OF pentcnce. One of the dramas of
the great Spanish dramatist Calderon
was written about St. Patrick's purea-
tory; and there is reason to believe
that Dante got the groundwork for his
great poems from the account of the
strange and supernatural experiences
OF the knight Owen, who made pil-
grinage to Loeb Dearg in the tenth
century-which strange experiences,
corresponding in remarkable degree
with those of him whom Dante sings
were set down by holy monk and
translated into almost every European
language, and widely read and we'll
known i'll every continental country.
This pilgrimage to I.och Dearg is
not on the decline; but during recent
years has rather been "a The II, :rease.