Our Lady’s Island PilgrimageOileán Mhuire Pilgrimage
Wexford, Leinster Province, Ireland
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🎟 Free entry
FestivalAtlas
Our Lady’s Island, Co. Wexford, is an ancient place of pilgrimage in southeast Ireland, centered on Marian devotion and culminating each year around the Feast of the Assumption (15 August) 1. The monthlong pilgrimage includes Masses, recitation of the Rosary, a Healing Mass and Anointing of the Sick, and concludes with an evening torchlight procession. Community members from Wexford and beyond attend daily services and processions at the Church of the Assumption and outdoor shrine 1.
Our Lady’s Island is traditionally associated with devotion to the Virgin Mary in the Diocese of Ferns. Pilgrimages here date back centuries as a local folk piety. In modern times, parish-led pilgrimages span late August with clergy-led liturgies, rosary processions that wind around the island, and communal devotions in the adjoining churches of the Assumption and St Catherine 1 2.
Venues and routes
Church of the Assumption · Wexford
Church of the Assumption
Main · Main church for pilgrimage Masses and liturgies · Our Lady’s Island, Co. Wexford, Y35 Y4PX · Wexford
Outdoor Grottoes and Pilgrim Grounds
Sites for Rosary processions and outdoor devotions (e.g., grotto shrines of the Virgin Mary) · Our Lady’s Island, Co. Wexford · Wexford
The dates that shape the visit.
Opening day · Sat, Aug 15
Bishop of the Diocese leads the opening Mass, followed by a rosary procession on the Causeway
Arrive early to find a seat in church; expect incense, hymns, and emotional welcomes
Day 3 · Mon, Aug 17
Includes special anointing of the sick and distribution of blessed holy water
Those seeking healing can join the end of Mass for anointing with oil; expect a large turnout
Final day · Tue, Sep 8
Held immediately after the final 7pm Mass on Sept 8; pilgrims carry candles in procession around the island
Gather outside church by 7pm, bring a candle or flashlight for the night procession
Reference notes for once this becomes a real plan.
Practical notes refreshed Apr 9.
Calm energy
Spread out across church and outdoor grounds; not overcrowded except briefly during main ceremonies
Typical small-town pilgrimage context, generally secure and non-controversial
Warm summer days common · Outdoor rosary/procession held weather-permitting (indoor alternative available if raining)
Daily budget: €50–80 · Drinks: Soft drinks/€ales ~€2–5
Bring water and snacks to avoid higher stall prices on-site.
From center: Short drive or taxi from Wexford town. · Paved causeway and church ramp make the main site wheelchair-accessible, but island walking paths are uneven
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