Irish cleric undertakes a barefoot pilgrimage to St. Patrick’s Cathedral

[Church of Ireland] A Church of Ireland rector in the Diocese of Clogher is undertaking a pilgrimage of a different kind by walking from his church in Fermanagh to St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin.

The Rev. Stephen McWhirter, rector of Rossorry Parish Church, will be walking from the landmark church on the outskirts of Enniskillen in Northern Ireland to St. Patrick’s, a distance of around 100 miles, during two weeks in Lent. This isn’t just any walk  — he will be barefoot.

He left after the morning service in Rossorry on March 30 and will finish in Dublin on Palm Sunday, April 13, with distances varying from just a few miles to 11 miles.

McWhirter said, “I had initially thought, walking by myself, I’d just head off. However, I need a lot of paperwork and registration with both the Police Service of Northern Ireland and the Gardai [the state police of the Irish Republic] to happen. Also support vehicles travelling ahead for me to warn oncoming traffic.

“I needed to attend to a fairly rigorous risk assessment as I’ll be walking barefoot. As you know I’ve experienced this from last Lent, however a walk to Dublin does seem a step up.

“Following the biblical principles of taking nothing with me, I’m doing exactly that so will be heavily reliant on the generosity of strangers to feed and water me. I’m contacting colleagues both in Church of Ireland and Roman Catholic churches who are allowing me to sleep in churches on the way to Dublin.”

Also along the route, McWhirter will be calling at a number of national schools, speaking to pupils about the history and role of pilgrimages.

The route is filled with places of historic interest. The original church of Rossorry is named after St. Fanchea, who helped to build a monastery on the banks of Lough Erne. McWhirter also will be crossing through places such as Trim, where a monastery was traditionally thought to be founded by St. Patrick. Maynooth, also on his walking route, is a well–known university town served by two churches named St. Mary’s — St. Mary’s Church of Ireland, which is incorporated into the walls of St. Patrick’s College, Ireland’s national seminary for the training of priests, and St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church.

St. Michan’s Church, Dublin, dating from 1686, was the site of the first Christian chapel dating from 1095 and operated as a Catholic church until the Reformation. It has served Church of Ireland parishioners in Dublin for more than 300 years.

McWhirter’s final walk day will begin at St. James’ Gate, the traditional beginning of the medieval pilgrimage route, with his destination of St. Patrick’s Cathedral, which for over 800 years has been a site of religious significance.

He also will be raising funds along the way for a community hub at Rossorry and extension to the car park, as well as the Aisling Centre in Enniskillen.

While McWhirter  will be accompanied on parts of the journey by a support team, he will be relying on his sturdy staff for support as he walks. It has personal significance for him as it belonged to his father, Roy, who used it at Bangor Heritage Centre where he played the role of St. Patrick for visitors.