Limerick family clocks up 200 visits to Lourdes

Tommy, Fergal and Declan Deegan in their St Joseph’s Scouts uniforms with Mary, Eoghan and Olly Deegan in Lourdes | PICTURE: Michael Cowhey

placeholder image — Tommy, Fergal and Declan Deegan in their St Joseph’s Scouts uniforms with Mary, Eoghan and Olly Deegan in Lourdes | PICTURE: Michael Cowhey

ONE LIMERICK father made a vow that he would go to Lourdes every year if his child got better and he was a man of his word.

Tommy Deegan, aged 83, of Bowman Street in the city, has been going for 50 years to where apparitions of the Virgin Mary occurred in 1858.

What Tommy started has been continued by the whole Deegan family - his wife Mary, children Fergal, Tommy, Declan, Eoghan, Colm and grandchildren.

Between them all, they have completed close to 200 pilgrimages to Lourdes.

Fergal said the Limerick Diocesan Pilgrimage is in their calendar every year.

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“My younger brother Colm had a hole in his heart when he was born. Somebody sent the family to Lourdes and dad said if Colm was fine he would go back every year so he has been going ever since,” said Fergal, who has been going for the last 40 years.

Fergal hasn’t just flown to France. There have been five Limerick to Lourdes cycles since 2008 with over €250,000 raised for good causes. This year was the first diocesan pilgrimage since Covid in hit 2020 but Fergal only missed one year.

“We had the cycle to Lourdes last year and we brought mam and dad in 2021 so the only year we missed was 2020,”he said.

The whole family were in Lourdes in 2011 for a special occasion as Tommy received the Benemerenti Medal.