Down and Connor Diocese Lough Derg Pilgrimage 2026

What to Expect

Each year the Diocese of Down and Connor arranges a group pilgrimage to Lough Derg - St Patrick’s Purgatory - in Co. Donegal, travelling together by coach from Belfast. The three-day Lough Derg pilgrimage is a traditional penitential practice involving fasting to one meal a day, a night vigil, and the Stations of the Cross on the island’s cobbled paths. Pilgrims travel to Station Island on Lough Derg, which has been a place of Christian pilgrimage since the fifth century. The 2026 Down and Connor group pilgrimage is advertised on parish noticeboards and bulletins across Antrim and the diocese. The Lough Derg pilgrimage season runs from 29 May to 13 August 2026.

Good to Know

• The Down and Connor group pilgrimage is tentatively scheduled within July 2026; check your local parish bulletin or the diocesan website for the confirmed date.

• The three-day pilgrimage involves fasting and an overnight vigil on the island; participants should be in reasonable health.

• Contact your local parish or the diocesan office for coach booking details.

• Lough Derg website for general information: loughderg.org.

• Cost typically covers transport and the island fee; check with the diocese for 2026 pricing.

Getting There

Coaches depart from Belfast and other towns in the diocese. Lough Derg is approximately 90 miles from Belfast, near the village of Pettigo on the Donegal-Fermanagh border.