DONAL REID COLUMN: Pettigo - a club and town that has battled and won

The picturesque village of Pettigo and its people never had it easy and life was always a struggle. Not all struggled though, as you will learn through the course of this article. The Ulster Plantation had a massive impact on Pettigo which makes this story complicated but absorbing. In these times of massive and rapid change, Pettigo and Lough Derg may have the answer to this madness and societal upheaval. As one enters Pettigo, a sign on the side of the road greets the visitor with the words “Spiritual refreshment in changing times”.

I managed the Pettigo GAA team along with my friend Tommy Moss from Aghyaran, Co. Tyrone in 2014 and part of 2015. I was also part of the medical team with Donegal then so I often missed training. It wasn’t an ideal situation for Pettigo but we made the most of our time together. I have to cross through two counties, Tyrone and Fermanagh respectively to get to Pettigo. Yet, Pettigo is only 30 minutes from my home in The Cross, Killygordon.

Pettigo derives its name from the Latin protectio (protection), a translation of the Irish ‘termon’. Pettigo is set in an area rich with rivers, lakes, forestry and bog lands. It is officially designated an area of outstanding natural beauty and an area of scientific special interest. It is the only village on the island of Ireland to be divided by the international boundary between the north of Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Pettigo is bisected by the Termon River; the portion of the village in Fermanagh is officially called Tullyhommon, but is known locally as ‘High Street’ due to its hillside position overlooking the village.

Those of us who reside along the border are used to crossing over and back the north and south divide through normal daily living. For the outsider, it’s complicated and confusing. Protestant and Catholic neighbours live and work side by side without any conflict. There is an enthusiastic willingness on everybody’s part to get along. Nowadays, we are simply separated brethren fighting a common enemy. Pettigo’s history is fantastically complex.

Peace, tranquillity and hope flourish in this little village today but it took a long time to get this far. The Battle of Pettigo in the summer of 1922 was the last significant action in the War of Independence. The battle between the IRA and the Ulster Special Constabulary (USC), better known as the B Specials, and the British Army was an important episode in the course of Ulster and Irish history. Dan Downing in his book ‘Neighbours in Pettigo’ says “Divisions among the people of Pettigo across religious, economic and political lines contributed to the discord in the lead-up to the battle and its aftermath.

The divisions had their origins in the time of the Plantation, when Protestant settlers began to arrive from mainland Britain in the 1600s. Tensions between the settlers and those who were dispossessed was inevitable and occasional sectarian clashes…recurred at intervals through the following centuries.

Pettigo village had a Protestant majority and most of the businesses in in the centre were in Protestant hands, giving them influential positions in local law and politics and continuing the old sense of unfairness felt by the Catholic natives against the Protestant planters”. The Pettigo-Lough Derg area was intended to be included in county Fermanagh when delineation took place in 1584-5. It never happened though.

Its not easy to simplify the history of Pettigo. For instance, there existed in Pettigo a branch of the United Irishmen Society. Catholics, Presbyterians, Methodists and other dissenters joined forces against Anglican rule from Dublin Castle in 1791. One of its best-known proponents was Wolfe Tone. The Act of Union enacted on January 1st 1801 by the British Parliament scuppered this rebellion.

“In Pettigo, it certainly served to increase the local divide between Protestants and Catholics” (Dan Downing). Thankfully, Ireland and Pettigo have moved on. Relations among the differing traditions in the village are healthy. Economically, Pettigo suffered from the closure of the railway in 1957. This once thriving market town also suffered from the closure of numerous cross-border roads by the British Army at the height of the ‘Troubles’ in the north of Ireland.

The people of Pettigo are very active in trying to reinvigorate the community. The Association for Development of Pettigo & Tullyhommon (ADOPT) are very active and in 2014 one of there initiatives The Termon Complex was opened. “Pettigo has traditionally been the 'gateway' to St. Patrick's Purgatory, a Christian pilgrimage site, situated on an island in Lough Derg. During the mid-late 20th century, the popularity of the pilgrimage brought a significant boost to the local economy as tens of thousands of pilgrims from all over Ireland and abroad travelled through the village on their way to and from Lough Derg. Although the popularity of the pilgrimage has dwindled in recent years, it is still an important driver of tourism in the area” (Wikipedia).

I was ferried to Station Island on Lough Derg last Monday as a guest of Fr. Laurence (La), the Prior of the Sanctuary of St. Patrick. I have to say that St. Patrick’s Purgatory on Lough Derg is the jewel in the crown for Pettigo. I have to report that this was my first time on the island and I was gobsmacked with the beauty of Lough Derg and the surrounds. The setting of St. Patrick’s Sanctuary, as it sits calmly on Station Island far out from the shore, is a sight of wondrous glory.

One doesn’t have to be a person of faith to appreciate the charm of this delightful setting. Arriving on the island, I couldn’t help but notice the impeccably kept gardens and buildings. While staying in a cave on the island about 1600 years ago, St. Patrick had a vision of purgatory and hell.

“St. Patrick’s Purgatory, more commonly referred to as Lough Derg because of its location in the lake of the same name in Co Donegal, is a pilgrimage site which dates back to the Fifth Century. Since then, uninterrupted for over 1500 years, it has been a place of Christian pilgrimage and prayer. The pilgrimage takes place on Station Island, and it has St. Patrick as its patron.

The original monastery on Saints Island in the same lake claimed St Davog, one of Patrick’s disciples, as its founder abbot. Mainly due to restrictions of weather conditions, the pilgrimage season is a relatively short one: the traditional Three-Day Pilgrimage runs from 1st June to 15th August; Day Retreats are held in May, late August and September; school retreats are held in April-May and in September” (loughderg.org). Lough Derg is officially closed due to Covid-19. The last time it was closed was 192 years ago. Things didn’t always go smoothly for the pilgrim site.

On the 24th October 1632, James Spottiswoode, Anglican Bishop of Clogher, personally supervised the destruction of everything on the island. The pilgrims kept coming though. In 1680 it was levelled again. Despite an Act of Parliament in 1704 which imposed a fine of 10 shillings or a public whipping, the pilgrims were undeterred. On Sunday July 12th 1795, a boat carrying 93 local people to the island for Sunday mass capsized in ten feet of water only yards from Friars Island. Only 3 people survived.

Lough Derg is still surviving. In our modern climate of social change, pilgrims aren’t as plentiful as they used to be. We don’t need to live in the spiritual realm anymore since we believe that we are in charge. Sacrifice and penance have been replaced with materialism and ‘self’.

Unless you have been living under a rock, you will realise that life has changed dramatically in that we are so materially rich yet so spiritually poor. Even if one doesn’t believe in a supernatural power, Lough Derg is irresistible if only for a peek. If walking and enjoying spectacular scenery is your thing, then get to Lough Derg. The much-loved pilgrim’s path is currently under redevelopment.

“The Lough Derg pilgrimage route from Station Island Visitor Centre to Saints Island, Co. Donegal is a timeless pilgrim route that is far removed from roads, houses and other signs of modern day living. It has many echoes of its early Christian past along the 12 Km (7 miles) long path. The old pilgrimage road to Lough Derg follows in the footsteps of the medieval pilgrims — not to Station Island where pilgrims normally go today, but to the threshold of the larger Saints Island, which acted as its gateway several hundred years ago. The focus of the legendary St Patrick’s Purgatory, Station Island, was a deep pit in which those who spent a day and a night would allegedly be purged of their sins, experiencing both the torments of the damned and the delights of the blessed. The walk starts at the visitor centre near the pier where boats bring pilgrims across to Station Island. Information about the pilgrimage may be obtained at the centre.

At about 1.15km, there is a wooden fingerpost pointing down to the right along a stepped path to St Brigid’s Chair, a naturally weathered boulder of banded gneiss. A little further along the route, another sign points to St Daveoc’s Chair.

Associated with a local hermit, the ‘chair’ is partially natural, but seems to have had one or two large blocks added to it, hinting that it may once have been a Bronze Age burial place. This is the point where the modern route joins the old pilgrimage road that would have brought the medieval pilgrims from Templecarne.

At 1.75km, a fingerpost points down to St Brigid’s Well, marked by a modern metal cross which is festooned — like the bush above it — with pilgrims’ votive rags. The goal of the pilgrimage is the edge of the lake opposite Saints Island where one can still see the stones that formed the foundation of the wooden bridge that would have brought medieval pilgrims across to Station Island. The path continues full circle to the visitor centre where the walk began” (pilgrimpath.ie).

During my time with Pettigo GAA, “the island” was often mentioned because many of the younger players had summer jobs there and training would have to be missed. Most if not all of them had done either the one-day or three-day pilgrimage. They may not have been saints but they made huge sacrifices. I need to preface my story about Pettigo GAA by saying that I offered my services to them rather than them coming looking for me. Numbers were scarce but their commitment resembled that of the pilgrims going to Lough Derg.

Bruised and hurt from defeat after defeat they kept coming to training and played to their potential with passion and commitment for love of Gaelic games and pride in their community. The club committee, players and supporters are fanatical about Gaelic football. The community lacks employment but the club is resolute and survives as Lough Derg did in generations past. I was treated with respect and kindness by everybody in Pettigo. Pettigo GAA club was formed in 1911 and played their first match against Belleek.

The club’s unique position as a divided border town saw them endure “wars, resurrections, emigration, unemployment and the border question”. Rows about whether the club should play in Fermanagh or Donegal were constant in the early days. “Like most GAA clubs, its inspiration was drawn from Nationalistic spirit, a desire to play games deemed to be Irish and to foster Irish culture and athleticism”. Pettigo had sporadic successes since its foundation and produced senior inter-county players such as PJ Flood, Pat McCrea and Gary Snowe.

More recently Paul Robinson and Mathew Gallagher represented Donegal at minor and U-21 levels. The club won the Junior B county title in 2018. Hurling was played in Pettigo too with the club winning the Donegal Junior title in 1999, the Intermediate title in 2001 and beaten in the 2001 senior final. I contacted Pettigo club secretary Serena Gallagher earlier this week for an update on club matters, she supplied the following:

Pettigo, A socially distant community with huge heart and a resilient spirit.

“When you live and work in a beautiful, yet remote and isolated community like Pettigo, social distancing is something that probably should come easy. This as we all know is not the case as young and old have missed interaction with their friends and neighbours. Through this pandemic and locked down it's amazing how much people realise that sporting activity, especially GAA, brings us all together.

2020 had started well with the appointment of a new vibrant, energetic manager in Sean O Kane, who seemed to be able to get the most out of the players. Training was going well, attendance high, and a desire amount young and old to do well in the coming season. Sean’s positivity and knowledge of the game is rubbing off on all the players which has instilled a sense of belief in them all.

Our underage players are so eager and talented that there is no doubt in my mind that the years ahead will be bright for Pettigo GAA. Small numbers are supplemented by huge hearts and a great amount of skill. A huge thank you to the mentors who have volunteered and helped so readily.

Business locally has suffered over the last few months so as they have supported us through the years we will now support them in their time of need. The lotto was paused in the interests of people’s safety and will return thanks to all those premises and people that help and of course those that support it week in week out.

As we all know, all GAA activity had to stop as we tried to restrict the spread of the virus. Now that the restrictions have eased, we at Pettigo GAA want all to safely return to training, playing and lifting the spirits of the community with their efforts. We urge all members to follow the guidelines and ensure that our community remains safe, and that the sound of success is heard throughout the parish.

On behalf of Colin and all the executive we thank all our dedicated players, volunteers and supporters and we wish all the people of Pettigo

“ Saol fada agus breac-shláinte chugat.”

Serena Gallagher, Rúnaí CLG Paite Gabha

As you can see, Pettigo has had a turbulent but interesting history. The people of the community are compact and are survivors. Religious differences are respected and set aside for the welfare of Pettigo. Cross-community initiatives are on-going which has brought people together. I admire the spirit of the Pettigo natives who will continue to put their best foot forward.

In Lough Derg they have a hidden gem which everyone should visit. Pettigo is rich in heritage and has an abundance of healthy outdoor activities. I really enjoyed doing my research for today’s article and I need to thank a few for their help. Fr. La (Laurence) Flynn was excellent and greeted me with warmth to Lough Derg. He presented me with a signed copy of his book detailing much of the history of the island.

The Lough Derg communications director Sharon Hearty accompanied me to the island and provided me with a lot of information, knowledge and photos. Damien Carr, former Pettigo player and friend turned into the local historian for a few days and drove me around the Pettigo community. Serena Gallagher, long time club secretary and Cavan native helped me with the club details. Joe Sheerin and Reece McGrath both of whom I know for quite a while ferried me to and from the island. Joe also was the person who set up my meeting with Fr. La. I also want to thank Mary McDaid, who is synonymous with Lough Derg, for her beautiful book. To all of you, I say thank you for everything that you done to make today’s column possible. Go mbeannaí Dia sibh.

Footnote: A pilgrim path walk takes place on Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 July. The full walk is 12km and there is an option for a shorter walk on both days as well.

Full details will be available on the website loughderg.org or people can phone us 9-5pm on 071 9861518