We don’t know how we’ll die but Dúlra is sure of one thing: he’ll never drown.

That’s because he managed to squeeze through the narrow window of St Deirbhile’s Temple along the Atlantic coast in County Mayo this week – and anyone who does that three times will be spared that awful fate, according to folklore.

You city folk might think that's a lot of baloney, but in rural Ireland such blessings aren’t taken lightly. And the shrines to our countless saints which are dotted throughout the countryside from Derry to Dingle are still revered.

St Deirbhile wanted to devote her life to God and left her home for Mayo. But a prince pursued her. On hearing that he had fallen in love with her because of her beautiful eyes, she tore them out. 

You mightn’t believe in the miracles associated with them, but ignore them at your peril.

The locals here told Dúlra of a man who recently brought a stone Christening font from an abandoned monastery on a now-uninhabited island. “I shook in the priest’s hands,” they said, “and he was ordered to bring it back. It’ll bring you no luck to take anything from those places.”

As for the Yank who dug out a whole stone crucifix from the same island and shipped it back to the States, well, the locals say he won’t live long to enjoy his new ornament. It’s just as cursed as digging up a fairy tree.

TIGHT SQUEEZE: Anyone who can pass through the window of St Deirbhile's Temple will never drown, says the legend.
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TIGHT SQUEEZE: Anyone who can pass through the window of St Deirbhile's Temple will never drown, says the legend.

St Deirbhile wanted to devote her life to God and left her home for Mayo. But a prince pursued her. On hearing that he had fallen in love with her because of her beautiful eyes, she tore them out. Then, while walking through the dunes here, she bathed her face in a well and her sight returned.

And the well is still there, in this most stunning corner of Ireland. It’s not far from her temple and her grave, on which grass never grows and which now is filled with pennies and personal trinkets like purses and ribbons from people who hope she can still help them through the centuries and through troubled times.

Sadly, this cemetery holds the graves of 12 men who died in one of the most tragic events ever to befall this area – and one which led to the evacuation of three islands which the graveyard overlooks. Forty-six young islandmen drowned after they had gone fishing in 30 currachs on October 28, 1927. It was an unthinkable tragedy. In reality, the whole male population was wiped out in one day.

Below the men’s graves sits St Deirbhile’s Well. On Sunday, her feast day, the locals will gather here as they have done for centuries, joined by pilgrims who seek a cure, especially for eye conditions.

Dúlra knelt under the arch and filled his bottle. He knew who would appreciate this – his 92-year-old mother, who always complains how she can no longer make out people’s faces, just their shapes.

St Deirbhile’s water may not bring a cure – there may be others with more pressing problems that need her help – but what harm can it do? And as the Ma says, you can never have too much holy water!

If you’ve seen or photographed anything interesting or have any nature questions, you can text Dúlra on 07801 414804.