Local historian Trevor Temple uncovered details of the episode from the
annals of Londonderry's shared history after being tipped off by a former parishioner.
The elderly lady, who asked not to be named, said she was a parishioner of St Columb's as a young girl in the 1920's and recalled that candles used to be lit every Armistice Day at the grotto on Chapel Road.
The former Londonderry resident said she was convinced the grotto was
actually dedicated on Easter Sunday 1916 - a day before a republican rebellion in Dublin changed the course of Irish history.
The information was enough to have local historian Mr Temple don his
sleuth's cap and set off on a mission to investigate the story.
The Fountain man - already having considerable expertise in the field as
one of the architects of the Diamond War Memorial Project and its sister
scheme, the North West Memorial Project - soon uncovered details of the
shrine.
"I looked on some of the old newspapers of the time as I remembered
coming across something years ago about a grotto being dedicated in a
Catholic Church in the Waterside in 1916 but I could never find it again," he explained.
"The woman mentioned Easter Sunday so I thought it would be a simple
matter of going down and getting the coverage from the following day or
whatever.
"So I went through and there was nothing. I checked through the Sentinel, the Standard and the Journal.
"I could find nothing. I thought that something wasn't adding up so I went home and phoned the woman in Portrush.
"She told me that she started at the Chapel Road school in 1925 and that in the late 1920's on Armistice Day each year they would have chosen a few pupils from the class and taken them up to light the candles on the grotto," he added.
The local First World War expert said he was struck at the vividness of the lady's memory and how she could recall that the grotto was kept clean and how she seemed to be able to quote verbatim what it said on the brass tablet.
"So I came away from the phone thinking that this woman's mind seemed so lucid and clear and it kind of puzzled and intrigued me.
"I went back to the library and went through the papers week by week from Easter Sunday," he said.
He soon struck gold in the Derry Journal, May 29, 1916, where he came
across an article entitled: "Derry And The Inniskillings; Catholic Soldiers Who Fought And Fell; Comrades' Artistic Memorial Unveiled."
The article tells how soldiers of the Royal Inniskillings Fusiliers, based in Ebrington Barracks, had erected the grotto to their fallen comrades and how the local Parish Priest of the time Rev WB MacFeely was effusive in his praise for the dead.
What makes Fr MacFeely's sermon all the more striking is the fact it was delivered in the tumultuous wake of the Easter rebellion in Dublin.
It was typical of the Catholic Church attitude to the rebels at the time.
As the Irish Catholic stated: "Every Irish Catholic will, we believe, heartily approve the bold and outspoken address delivered by the Lord Bishop of Ardagh and Clonmacnoise at Rathdine on Sunday last.
"In a few words Dr Hoare set forth unshrinkably the attitude of the Church to wanton and unjustifiable rebellion.
"In the case of persons responsible for acts such as those, which have resulted in the production of terrible devastation, impoverishment, and bloodshed, in Dublin, the Church condemns them as sinners in a grievous degree."
The attitude of the Church to the Inniskillings could not be more marked
in its contrast. The Derry Journal article of May 29 - five weeks after what became known erroneously as the Sinn Féin rebellion - describes "a beautiful ceremony" in St Columb's Church when "a chaste and exquisitely
designed grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes erected by the Catholic soldiers belonging to the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, stationed at Ebrington Barracks, to the memory of their fallen comrades, was unveiled."
A special parade of the Catholic soldiers at Ebrington filled "the sacred edifice" whilst "Rev WB MacFeely, BD, PP, chaplain to the forces" delivered a sermon and afterwards joined with the soldiers in reciting the Rosary.
The article reads: "Father MacFeely then delivered an appropriate lecture, in the course of which he paid eloquent tribute to the bravery of the Inniskillings, and spoke of their heroic deeds in the present great world conflict.
"He referred to that abiding spirit of faith characteristic of all Irishmen, which the terrible realities of war had served to bring into striking relief amongst the soldiers who had gone to do battle.
"Many grand manifestations of that great piety and loving of faith had been provided, and it was fitting that in that church, where so many brave soldiers had knelt and prayed, they should have an enduring monument to the men who fell in action.
"It was equally fitting that in the erection of that memorial they had
found a means of doing perpetual honour to our beloved Lady of Lourdes,
whose protection they should especially seek, but especially in the hour of danger."
Mr Temple believes the woman may be correct in the belief that the grotto was dedicated on Easter Sunday, although this would defy the norm
elsewhere.
"So this would have been five weeks after this lady believes the grotto was installed and dedicated.
"But I've talked to other people about it and they reckoned it could well have been dedicated on the Easter Sunday and then unveiled five weeks later," he said.
"But what I found strange about that was that when I was covering the war memorials I found that - especially in the Protestant Churches - the unveiling and the dedication seemed to take place at the one time.
"What intrigues me is that it takes place five weeks later. But could it have been dedicated and unveiled then afterwards. We then got in touch with the Chapel Road Church and discovered that the grotto is still there," said Mr Temple.
Was the grotto to the Royal Inniskillings dedicated on Easter Sunday 1916? If you can shed light on the episode please contact the Sentinel
on 02871341775.