>From The Kingdom newspaper June 2007 http://www.the-kingdom.ie/news/story.asp?j=24465 Pilgrim prayers bring old island back to life IT was like turning back the clock to an age and a custom lost in time as solemn hymns filled the tranquil summertime air and prayful pilgrims knelt before the simple stone altar overlooking the majestic lakes. The annual open air Mass on Innisfallen Island, on the Lakes of Killarney, is one of the great traditions and yet one of the best kept secrets in Kerry. Last Friday evening's ceremony, led by Fr James Nduka, visiting Killarney from Nigeria, and Killarney curate Fr Nicholas Flynn, didn't attract anything near a capacity crowd but there was a constant trickle of pilgrims to ensure the traditional boatmen were kept busy when ferrying the passengers to the historic and spectacular island which is located a little more than a mile from the tourist landmark of Ross Castle. They travelled by the boatload to the ruins of the old Franciscan Church which, despite its absolute beauty and remarkable history, remains a closely guarded secret in Kerry. Innisfallen, now still and serene, became the first university in Europe for hundreds of years and such was the demand that overflow settlements had to be established in places like Aghadoe and Muckross. It was on the history-steeped island that the legendary Annals of Innisfallen were penned, between 1015 and 1320, by a group of 39 monks using their skills in both Irish and Latin. The historicical documents are now in safe keeping in Oxford Library despite frequent but ultimately unsuccessful attempts to bring them back to Killarney to put them on display. The island's wonderful history was never far from the minds of the faithful that gathered there for the annual Mass last Friday night and it was a wonderful occasion, enhanced by the beautiful choir which created an almost eerie atmosphere on the magnificent Lough Leane, which is also known as the Lake of Learning.