On the first weekend of May I satisifed my curiousity about the cluster of grey buildings on Station Island in Lough Derg. Since the first time I saw the pilgrimage centre from the shore I’d wondered what it was exactly and what they do there. So I arranged to visit the island during one of their day retreats and I spent an interesting and informative day. One of Monsignor Mohan’s comments to me particularly sticks in my mind. He said that people come to the island to get space from their busy lives. After visiting Lough Derg (as most people refer to the island) I can see why they do so and what they get from it.

I’ve written about my visit to Lough Derg for Ireland’s Own magazine and they have featured the piece as their cover story this week (issue date 22 July 2011).