Wells of County Cork
St Abbán's Well
Tobar Abbán dedicated to St Abbán, is in Ballyvourney, Glebe in a wooded area out from Ballyvourney. The well is a diamond-shaped hole cut into the ground and covered with a tea tray. A collection of likely-relocated ogham stones is nearby on a mound traditionally said to be the saint's grave where votives are left.
The well's pattern day is on March 16.
Leavings include letters, ribbons, and rosaries.
Holy Wells of Cork by Amanda Clark
Abbey Well
Dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, this well has other names including Friary Well, Tobar na Mainistreache, and Lady’s Well.
The well is located in Abbey-Lands at the end of an alleyway. It is marked by a sign that gives the history of the well. It has a semicircular wall of stonesaround it with shelves that may have been intended for offerings. (see Amanda Clarke)
There is no one cure associated with this well, but it was thought to be especially effective in curing Leprosy. (Clark)
The 15th of August is its pattern day.
The well is still dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary and it seems that she has even made a brief appearance here. Cait Ni Síoccáin collected this story in 1937 as part of the Schools’ Folklore Collection: … The story is told how a man went for some water at twelve o clock one night. When he got to the centre of the lane something stopped him, He made the sign of the cross and then found he was able to walk again. When he got to the well Our Blessed Lady appeared to him and told him that it was the spirits that stopped him on his way to the well. She also told him that these spirits wanted to frighten people and it was very dangerous to be out late at night. Thinking that she was another spirit the man blessed himself again. Our Lady told him not to fear that she was the Mother of God. She said she would protect him until he was safe in his own home. She did so and when he got home he knelt down and thanked her, then he kissed her hand and she disappeared…
Clarke, Amanda. "Gazetteer." Holy Wells of Cork. Accessed November 2, 2018. .
Clarke, Amanda. “No title” Holy Wells of Cork, 31 OCT, 2016.
St Abbey's Well
St Abbey's Well, located in Kilgobnet, is dedicated to St Gobnait. The patron saint of Kilshannig is St Gobnit, but she is more commonly known as St Abby.
It is known to have general curative powers.
Every year on 11 February, rounds are paid to this well. It is like a national holiday for the district. Men, women, and children all turn out in their best style. In front of the well on pattern day are 2 or 3 poor women who supply glasses of water to the pilgrims and are expected to pay at least a penny each. The attendance of the pattern is getting smaller each year.
Rosaries and statues are left at niches at entrance to the well.
The rounds are usually performed by commencing the rosary in front of the well, saying the Decade there and moving on clockwise round, saying a Decade at each station. There are stones around the well house, the words "Kneel & Pray" scratched into them.
The old people remember a time when the young men of different townlands of the parish used to assemble in the fields near Abby's Well and compete for the "Championship of the Parish" with hop-step-and-jump and long jump.
It is said that it had been revealed to St Abbey that she should get a church built at a spot at where she could see 9 white deer, and that she set out on her travels through Munster in quest of this site. At several places, she saw several white deer, and she blessed those places and a spring gushed forth in each of them. She finally saw nine white deer in Ballyvourney. There she got her church built and there she died beside that church we was buried. Schools' Folklore Collection (03/094: 0363)
St Barrahane's Well
St Barrahane's Well is in the townland of Castlehaven beside a stream in lush vegetation. The well can be accessed via a small bridge and gate. The well is lined and roofed with stones. A vibrant orange buoy marks it.
Its waters are believed to cure ailments of the eyes and the stomach.
December 3 is its pattern day.
Offerings dangle from the surrounding bushes – rosaries, hankies, ribbons, tinsel, and a pile of rusty coins.
Blessed Well, Tobar Beannaithe, Cashelfean
The well in Cashelfean is on private land and is churned up by cattle. There seems to be a spot where the well use to be where water still bubbles up from the earth.
Sore eyes were healed either with a votive offering or by washing the eyes with the water of the well. The water was not to be drunk or taken away from the site.
The well has no dedication or Feast Day, and is no longer revered. One of the Schools' Folklore Collection entry states that people left Rosary beads, medals or some holy thing, and that pieces of ribbon or cloths were placed in the briars adjacent to the well.
The well is said to be healing to both Catholics and Protestants. A story from the Schools' Folklore Collection tells of a Protestant woman who left money by the well for her daughter who was nearly blind after both had visited the well. The next day a little girl saw the money at the well and, finding no one to whom it belonged, kept it. She woke up the next morning nearly blind, while the Protestant girl was completely healed.
Holy Wells of Cork by Amanda Clark
Tobar Beannaithe, Blessed Well
The well is located in Gouladoo on the top of a hillside near the coast. A tiered stone shrine has a statue niche.
Young women were said to visit the well to learn who they would marry. The well had a cure for rheumatics.
It has no saint dedication or feast day. Visitors leave behind plastic flowers, rosary beads, and coins.
Evelyn Hardy mentioned the well in her 1950 book, "Summer in Another World."
Holy Wells of Cork by Amanda Clark
St Brigid’s Well
A path from the top of a hill overlooking Squince Harbor in Ardra can be followed down to the well. The well is carved into the hillside and surrounded by stone slabs including one shielding it from the plants and dirt of the hill and some others in front of it meant to be kneeled on. It is said that the well once belonged on Rabbit Island, but when the residence stopped paying homage to it, it left and appeared in Squince Harbour where it is still visited.
The 1st of February is its pattern day.
Offerings are left on stone slabs around the well. Small statues, coins, and pebbles are common offerings at this well.
Clarke, Amanda. "Gazetteer." Holy Wells of Cork. Accessed November 2, 2018. .
Clarke, Amanda. Holy Wells of Cork, 18 Apr, 2016.
Power, Denis. 1998. Archeological inventory of County Cork volume 1: West Cork; comprising the Baronies of Bear, Bantry, West Carbery (east & west), East Carbery (east & west), Ibane & Barryroe and Kinalmeaky. Stationery Office. PP 280.
St Bernard's Well
St Bernard's Well is in Fermoy, County Cork. When Niall O'Mahony visited, the blackwater was full, still, and impressive, and the footpath named after the St Barnane Walk, is an attractive spot to wander down, in fact, it is now part of the official town walk. The well is about 500meters along, passing some interesting Victorian buildings behind walls and vegetation. The well is clearly signed by a wall plaque and is accessed along a whitewashed passageway, somewhat mouldy and licheny at the moment. Signage to the well is accessed down a narrow passageway. There are actually 2 well basins, both connected underground, the water eventually flowing out to the river. The well to the south is foot-shaped, partially lined with concrete and has 3 steps leading down the circular-ish basin. The whole thing is surrounded by concrete slabs. The well to the north, which receives water from its companion, is more rectangular in shape, also with 3 steps down to it. Water in both wells was clear and plentiful, but choked with coppery leaves and little water beetles skimming along the surface. It's an odd space, claustrophobic and damp, a small spindly tree with a large metal protective grill and a wall-set cast iron drinking fountain-presumably the water was once piped to this for around the edge it warns rather sternly: "Keep the pavement dry!"
The waters of this well are thought to cure blindness.
Lizzy O'Grady gives a very detailed account of St Bernard's well in the Schools' Folklore Collection
Around the district of Fermoy, there are many holy wells. In Burnane Walk south of the river Blackwater there is a well called St Bernard's well, which is situated about 100 yards from a Picture House built on the site of an old abbey. As Fermoy is a beauty spot, many sightseers visit it and they make sure in viewing the course of the Blackwater and in rambling up Barnane they visit the well.
About 15 yards south on the right bank of the river Blackwater and a quarter of a mile west of the Femoy bridge the exact position of the well is to be found.
The well is on level ground protected by a wall on the east, south and west, but open on the north to admit visitors. On the south side to which is attached an enamel cup, an ash tree grows near whose branches over-spread the well. Beech trees grow to the .. and the west. A gravel path leads to the well which is divided into 2 parts, the part near the entrance is square shaped, 3 steps must be descended to reach this well in the waters of which are applied to affected parts. About a yard from this is a round shaped part of the well which is also 3 steps below the level of the ground. The water of this is drunk and sometimes taken away in bottles. Both parts are connected by an underground stream, the waters of the round part feeding the square part and flowing thence to the river Blackwater.
St Bernard lived sometime during the 11th centurey. On one occasion when he visited Fermoy a poor blind man came to him and begged him to restore his site. St Bernard blessed the ground on which they were standing and immediately a fountain of fresh water sprang up. The saint told the man to bathe his eyes with water and no sooner had he done so than his sight was restored. The news of the miracle spread rapidly throughout the country and many blind people came to the spot and washed their eyes with water from the well and were restored their sight.
Many strange sights have been seen in the neighbourhood of the well and it is supposed to be haunted.
Niall O'Mahony has gathered this information from some of the old people in Fermoy (041-043:0378)
St Bernard (1090-1153) was actually French, one of the leading lights behind the Cistercian movement and a gifted spiritual leader and writer. He founded the great abbey of Clairvaux in Burgandy, with himself as the Abbot. Quite what he was doing in Fermoy, I'm not sure, but his feast day is the 20th August.
St Berrihert’s Well
This well in Sleveen East is dedicated to St Berrihert but, according to Amanda Clark, the Blessed Virgin Mary may be the patron.
The well is set back from a busy road, a white metal gate with the blue letters BVM (for Blessed Virgin Mary) marks where to enter to find the path to the well. "The wellhouse is an unusual structure. An arched stone building protects the well, whilst above it a rectangular building made of stone and bricks sits on top, complete with niche and glass-protected statue of the BVM.” The well itself is a semicircle and has slabs of stone placed around it where offerings are left. Plaques are placed near the well with information for the visitor to read.
The rosary is recited here on September 8, and rounds are traditionally made on Palm Sunday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday.
Clarke, Amanda. "Gazetteer." Holy Wells of Cork. Accessed November 2, 2018. .
Power, Denis. 1998. Archeological inventory of County Cork volume 3: Mid Cork; comprising the Baronies of East Muskerry, West Muskerry, and Barretts. Stationery Office. PP 328.
St Dalbach, Tobar Beannithe Cúil
St Dalbach's Well, also known as Tobar Beannithe Cúil in Coole Upper is nicely made: a barrel-roofed wellhouse made from stone, with a neatly flagged surrounding area, two stone seats near the entrance, all festooned with ferns. A slab in front bears an engraved cross and around it seven kneeling stones are placed, visited as as part of the rounds.
The waters of the well are thought to carry a cure for sore eyes, ears and warts. An entry from the Schools' Folklore Collection: …there is a boy living in Coolagou… and his name is Kevin Lyons. A few years ago he had a very sore ear. One day his mother took him to the holy well at Coole and performed the rounds, After a few days his ear was all right because his mother had faith enough in the holly (sic) well. (049:0377)
Its pattern day is 23 October.
Visitors leave offerings of statues, crucifixes, rosaries, bows, coins, medals etc mostly placed on top of the well house.
The rules for pilgrimage are clearly outlined on a board outside the sanctuary. You should approach from the north, walk deisal (clockwise), keeping to the right and in single file. Collect nine small stones as counters and each time you have accomplished a round (a walk around the well, praying at each of the seven kneeling stones and reciting Our Fathers etc) throw one pebble away. When you have none left your turas (pilgrimage) is achieved. Finally make an offering and drink the water three times (using your palms if there is no cup), then hang a cloth in the bushes.
This is how it is meant to have originated: Long ago the blessed well at Coole was just a spring. A female inhabitant of Coole Abbey House was reputed ot have seen a monk praying at this spring and she ordered an oratory to be built over it. The well is dedicated to St Deviet or which is an anglicised version of St Dalbach …
St Finbarr's Well
Also known as Tobar Ri an Domhnaigh, this well is recorded as being a Sunday’s Well, but it now seems to be dedicated to St. Finbarr, and is located in Cloonshear Beg.
Amanda Clarke notes that the restored well is active and still revered. The well house is built into a bank and is constructed out of mossy large stones. The water is fresh and clear and contained in a rectangular basin. The water seeps out over a flat stone and trickles down into the nearby river. Offerings are pressed into the moss. Cups are on-site for drinking the well waters, which have general curing properties.
Its pattern day is September 25. Religious statues and rosary beads are left at the well but there is also a pair of scales.
Clarke, Amanda. "Gazetteer." Holy Wells of Cork. Accessed November 4th, 2018. .
St Ina's Well
St Ina's Well is also known as "The Eye Well" and as Tobarín na Súl.
This well is in a magical site tucked away on the edge of Knockomagh Woods near the shores of Lough Hyne in Pookeen Townland. The well is a good size and possesses a quiet aura. It is enclosed by a u-shaped stone wall that is thick with moss and a huge array of offerings. The water is fresh and cold, and above the well are four slender tree trunks covered with offerings. The site feels ancient and mystical, but in fact the trees are relatively new and so are the offerings. Tobarín na Súl means little well of the eyes.
The well is said to be good for ailments of the eye and general illnesses.
Its pattern day is May Eve.
Lumps of white quartz are found in the stone walls of the well, and a variety of pennants: ribbons, ties, rosaries, dummies, Legomen, crisp packets, and a pair of white sticks are found in four slender tree trucks surrounding the well.
Clarke, Amanda. "Gazetteer." Holy Wells of Cork. Accessed November 4th, 2018. .
St John's Well
St John's Well or Tobar Beannaithe Naomh Eoin is found in Dún Peadair (Doon Peter), County Cork, and it's located on the grounds of an ancient church and graveyard in Glenville Parish. Possible ring fort, not too far from River Bride.
It is a cureall well.
Its pattern day is 23 June.
Stones are used to mark the rounds.
The water is drinkable.
Lady's Well, Tobar na Baintighearana
The well, dedicated to Our Lady, in Creagh townland is very overgrown with tall grass. Amanda Clark tells us that it is "almost disappearing into the hillock." There is a stone slab that covers its stone-lined well house. Nearby, there is a church that is now in ruins, and the well itself is on private land. The well has no offerings at it.
It has general curative properties and its pattern day is August 15.
Holy Wells of Cork by Amanda Clark
Power, Denis et. al., Archeological Inventory of County Cork Volume 1. Dublin: Stationary Office. PDF. 22 OCT. 2018
Lady's Well, Beach
Before visitors get to this well dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary in the townland of Beach, they must first wind up a hill that has statues of saints placed as offerings spread across it overlooking Bantry Bay. A set of stairs leads down to the well itself, and the Mass Rock that is near it. An arch made of stone caps the well at the back and covers it at the top. There is a mug left at the well for communal use.
The well is said to heal physical disabilities. “A story tells of how a young girl from Drimoleague was brought here in a chair, unable to walk. She saw the eel and was reputedly cured, no longer needing the chair for her return journey home.”
The pattern day is the 15th of August, this is the day that the rounds would have been made in celebration. Mass is still held at the Mass Rock by the well on the 15th of August.
Small religious statues seem to be the most common offering.
Tis a very devout place, and there have been healings attached to it. The rounds are done here on August 15. The rounds then consisted of 15 decades of the Rosary, going up one side of the path by the altar and down and round the other. The tradition was to take 15 small pebbles and as you passed the well you dropped one in. You know you had the 15 decades finished when you dropped the last pebble in the well. When you threw in the 15th stone and said your Hail Holy Queen, if an eel that was in the well jumped up in the water, the main part of your wish would be given…
Holy Wells of Cork. Accessed October 31, 2018. .
Holy Wells of Cork, 19 Feb, 2016.
Power, Denis. 1998. Archeological inventory of County Cork volume 1: West Cork; comprising the Baronies of Bear, Bantry, West Carbery (east & west), East Carbery (east & west), Ibane & Barryroe and Kinalmeaky. Stationery Office. PP 281.
Lady’s Well, Castlelands
Lady's Well, also known as Tobar Mhuire is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary and is in the townland of Castlelands. It has been abandoned as a holy well, once known for the high quality of its water and is now heavily overgrown. It is near the ruins of a thirteenth century castle in Ringrone.
The well was believed to have general curative properties and its pattern day was August 15.
Holy Wells of Cork by Amanda Clark
Power, Denis et al. Archeological Inventory of Count Cork. Dublin: The Stationery Office, 1994. PDF. 26 OCT. 2018.
Our Lady's Well, Crosshaven
Our Lady's Well, or St Mary's Well is located in the townland of Crosshaven. The well is near remains of an old church and graveyard with trees around it, and the water flows down towards the fields. Pilgrims use the waters of the well to cure sore eyes and feet. As offerings, visitors typically leave ribbons, medals, rosary beads, etc.
August 15 is the pattern day. Rounds were made on the Feast of Our Lady, but this custom was stopped about thirty years ago. It was also an ancient custom to say a prayer when passing this well and the custom is kept on (Clarke).
According to local legend, there were two very wealthy men living in Crosshaven, both Protestants. One man was asked to cut the tree near the well, and he said he would rather starve than put a saw to it. The other man was asked and he said he would cut it. He was told it was not right to cut the tree but he only laughed. He brought a cross saw and with one of his sons started to cut the tree; the saw broke in two halves; he got a second and the same thing happened and the third saw went the same way as the first and the second. The fourth saw cut the tree. All went well until morning. He went to the stable o draw home the timber but found his horse dead in the stable. (Clarke)
You can learn more about this well from these sources:
Clarke, Amanda. "Gazetteer." Holy Wells of Cork. Accessed November 31, 2018. .
Power, D., Byrne, E., Egan, U., Lane, S., & Sleeman, M. (n.d.). Archaeological Inventory of County Cork (Vol. 2,
Lady’s Well, Dunowen
You must walk down a high walled boreen and through a pasture to reach this well dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary in Dunowen. You are greeted by a serene white statue of the Mary holding a rosary and standing on top of a domed, beehive like wellhouse. There is a mug left at the well for visitors to use. There is an alter behind the well.
The 15th of August is the pattern day and mass is still celebrated yearly on that day. The boreen with pebble floors and high walls may have been the original pilgrimage path to the well
Holy Wells of Cork by Amanda Clark
Power Denis et al. Archeological Inventory of County Cork Volume 1: West Cork. Dublin: Stationary Office. PDF. 22 OCT. 2018.
Lady's Well, Kilbrogan
This well dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary in the townland of Kilbrogan is in Bandon Town Park near the stream and very overgrown, to the point that it was invisible to Amanda Clark when she visited it without some moving aside of greenery, but she notes that it has now been cleared by Tús. It is only seven meters from a St. Bridget's Well. The well has a high semi circle of stones around it.
Holy Wells of Cork by Amanda Clark
Power, Denis et al. Archeological Inventory of County Cork Volume 1: West Cork. Dublin: Stationary Office. PDF. 25 OCT. 2018.
Lady's Well, Kilnahone
This well, dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary in the townland of Kilnahone is in a field near the river Owenabue. It used to be covered by a wellhouse but now is only covered with brambles and a hawthorn tree. Amanda Clark says that the water is still audibly bubbling.
August 15 is its pattern day, and it has general healing powers.
Holy Wells of Cork by Amanda Clark
Power, Denis et al. Archeological Inventory of County Cork Volume 2: East and South Cork . Dublin: The Stationary Office, 1994. PDF. 25 OCT. 2018
Lady's Well, Lettercollum
Lady’s Well, in the townland of Lettercollum can be found right next to the GAA pitch on the road into Timoleague, and it is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. This well is surrounded by a fence with white painted horizontal rods and sky blue vertical posts. The stone-lined well sits inside the fence and is watched over by a painted statue of Mary, serenely watching visitors. A variety of flowers are planted around her, and offerings are placed in the niche beside her. Visitors can find communal mugs from which to drink the waters.
Mass is still celebrated on the pattern day, August 15, as well as on December 8.
Offerings include rosaries, medallions, cards, and a photo of Padre Pio.
Clarke, Amanda. "Gazetteer." Holy Wells of Cork. Accessed November 2, 2018. .
Power, Denis. 1998. Archeological inventory of County Cork volume 1: West Cork; comprising the Baronies of Bear, Bantry, West Carbery (east & west), East Carbery (east & west), Ibane & Barryroe and Kinalmeaky. Stationery Office. PP 286.
Lady's Well, Lissanisky
Lady's Well in the townland of Lissanisky, is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is in a dense woodland under a cliff face. The well itself is covered with a door and a piece of old corrugated metal. It still has some water that comes up in it. Nearby there is a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary that now resets headless and covered with moss.
Its pattern day is possibly August 15.
Holy Wells of Cork by Amanda Clarke
Power, Denis et al. Archeological Inventory of Count Cork. Dublin: The Stationery Office, 1994. PDF. 26 OCT. 2018.
Lady's Well, Magooly
Lady's Well, dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, is no longer in use and is located in a pasture in the townland of Magooly. It has a small stone circle around it and a collapsed metal cover. Amanda Clark says to "beware of cattle" and that one should ask permission before attempting to go find it.
Lady's Well, Sheep's Head Way
Lady's Well is located in Sheep's Head Way
Lady's Well, Tobar Muire
Lady's Well, also known as Tobar Muire, is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary and is in the townland of Ballymichael on private farm land.
The way to get to the well and the well itself are very overgrown, as it is no longer revered. Along the path, you will find a ballaun stone that has a couple of quartz stones around it, Amanda Clark suggests this may have been a part of the rounds and says that she has discovered it is a penitential station. Past this ballaun stone, you must travel a bit farther, to find the well covered with "a circular drystone structure with a corbelled roof. White quartz pebbles had been stuffed into every section – presumably left by pilgrims doing the rounds. A wooden lintel within kept the building stable. Stone slabs led to the entrance." There is no water in the well anymore. There are two other stones near the well that Amanda Clark supposes are parts of the original rounds.
The pattern day is on the 8th of September, and the owner of the farm said that mass was held there a few years before Amanda Clark visited her, but that this was a very unusual occurrence.
There is a penitential station marked by a ballaun stone and there are two stones near the well itself that may have been part of the rounds.
Lady's Well, Tobairin Mhuire, Lisheen
The Archaeological Society refers to this well as Tobermurry, and it is in the townland of Lisheen.
It is near the Kilmocomoge graveyard in a pasture. There is a white and blue painted fence around the well and many little "niches" that hold statues of saints, rosaries, and offerings At the head of the well there is a large statue of Mary. People have left many cups lying around so that others can use them to drink from the well.
It has general curative properties.
Mass is still held at the well on its pattern day, the 15th of August.
It looks like candles and rosaries are the most common offering.
In 1848 the murder of John Murphy of Droumduff was committed on the pattern day. It was due to faction fighting occurring between the Flynns and the Murphys. Fifteen people were accused of participating in the murder.
Amanda Clark's Blog
Power, Denis et al. Archeological Inventory of County Cork Volume 1: West Cork. Dublin: Stationary Office. PDF. 10 Oct. 2018
Lissavard
St Mary’s Well & Sunday Well, Walshestown
The wells in Walshetown are paved in a roughly octagonal shape approached by two steps down; empty niches lie in the surrounding curved walls.
The well is thought to cure tooth aches, earaches, and general ailments of the head.
August 15 is the pattern day. Pilgrims leave behind statues, flowers, candles, and votives, which are left on a shelf on the well.
Its water will not boil, and is said to assume certain shades and volumes, each change indicating a cure or the likelihood of some disaster occurring in the neighborhood. The water of the well beneath the Mass arch is only used to obtain cures.
Clarke, Amanda. "Gazetteer." Holy Wells of Cork. Accessed November 31, 2018. .
Power, D., Byrne, E., Egan, U., Lane, S., & Sleeman, M. (n.d.). Archaeological Inventory of County Cork (Vol. 3, Mid cork).
Maulinward Well
This well is a small basin in the bank of a river in the townland of Maulinward and is very overgrown. It was possibly used as part of the rounds for the celebrations at the grave belonging to Father Barnane on the 23rd June which is St. John's Eve.
There are no offerings at the well but a wide assortment is still left at the baullaun stone near Father Barnane's grave.
Holy Wells of Cork by Amanda Clarke
St Michael's Well
Dedicated to Archangel Michael, this well is near Kilmichael in Cooldaniel. The wellhouse is made from stone, with a white painted cross on top. Three crosses have been cut into the side walls, ands teps lead into the well itself, today.
The well is thought to have general curative powers, and its pattern day is September 29. Visitors leave silk flowers, religious statues, and rosary beads as offerings.
Amanda Clarke relates the following: A Protestant who lived in the district thought he would have a joke on the Catholics who honoured this well so much so he took some of the water home for household purposes placing some of it in a kettle on a blazing fire to boil. He then awaited the results and was amazed to see that after many hours it was as cold as ever. He was thus compelled to admit there was something supernatural in it
Clarke, Amanda. "Gazetteer." Holy Wells of Cork. Accessed November 31, 2018. .
Ronan, S., Egan, U., Byrne, E., Farrelly, J., Manning, C., Moore, F., . . . Walsh, P. (n.d.). Archaeological Inventory of County Cork (Vol. 5). Dublin: The Stationary Office.
St Michael's Well or Tobar Mhichíl Naomhtha
The well is in County Kerry near Dingle. To get to the well visitors must cross a busy street and go around a bright blue wall. The wall has a slab sticking out from the middle on which a Latin cross has been inscribed on both sides. Behind this wall is the well, which is enclosed in a rectangular impoundment. (Amanda Clarke)
Baldness, sore teeth, and sore backs are rumored to be treated by the waters of St Michael's Well.
Its pattern day is September 29. “Nine circuits of the well and the bridge were required, the pilgrim gathering nine small stones – releasing one by the well each time a round was completed.” (Amanda Clarke) Pins, coins, medals, and rags/ribbons are tied in a nearby tree.
The well is dedicated to St Michael but Caoimhin (the keeper of the well) thinks the original dedication was to the Celtic goddess Mór, who has strong associations with this area. The townland is even called Baile Mór Thiar after her. Mór was eventually superseded by the masculine as Christian saints such as Michael and Brendan took hold but the feminine is carefully remembered in the choice of paint colours, reflecting the colours of Our Lady’s Mantle. (Amanda Clarke)
St Michael’s Well, Bere Island
The well is nestled in a hillside in Ballynakilla. A large yellow cross marks the spot and a silver statue on a plinth depicting Archangel Michael wrestling with Satan.
People use the waters of St Michael's Well to heal sore eyes.
The Pattern Day is September 29. Pilgrims leve buttons and coins behind.
Every person says different prayers, but at an outer circle of stones, most pray "The Creed" and five" Our Fathers," five "Hail Marys" and five "Glorias." These are recited while circumambulating the well. With every Gloria they pick up a stone and drop it down again after completion of the set with their right hand. When they are coming home they always leave something after them. Some people leave a button after them. They toss the button in the air and if it comes down with a chosen side turned up, the person will have good luck, but if it comes down with the wrong side, the person will have bad luck. (Amanda Clarke)
Long ago on Michaelmas Day everyone turned towards the holy well, like a Fair day or a day at the Regatta at present. The people used to put up stalls and sell oranges and apples and wine, whiskey and porter and there used to be wrestling. They used to have dances and concerts and plays near the well. Known as the “holy stone” or “Godstone.” (Amanda Clarke).
Clarke, Amanda. "Gazetteer." Holy Wells of Cork. Accessed November 31, 2018. .
Ronan, S., Egan, U., Byrne, E., Farrelly, J., Manning, C., Moore, F., . . . Walsh, P. (n.d.). Archaeological Inventory of County Cork (Vol. 5). Dublin: The Stationary Office.
St Michael’s Well, Cloghfune
St Michael’s Well is near Allihies, Beara in the townland of Cloghfune. The well is under a cross inscribed stone. A lump of white quartz is beside a tiny well in a hole in the ground. It is believed to have general curative powers.
On the pattern day, September 29, local people, including the school children, hike up to the well. They leave coins, beads, bracelets, strings, rocks, shells, etc.
Publications listing the well: Clarke, Amanda. "Gazetteer." Holy Wells of Cork. Accessed November 31, 2018. .
St Patrick's Well
Also known as Tobar Patrick, or Kinneigh, this well is located in the townland of Ballyvelone East across a river in the woods in a large stone in a hole.
Its waters are believed to cure sore eyes, sore legs, scurvy and gout. The well needs to be visited on three separate Sunday mornings before sunrise, and a round of prayers paid each time when petitioning for a cure. Its pattern day is March 17.
Clarke, Amanda. "Gazetteer." Holy Wells of Cork. Accessed November 31, 2018. https://holywellsofcork.com/gazeteer/.
St Paul’s Well
St Paul's Well is a large, muddy pool with a circular bank located in Gortnaclohy, Co. Cork
Killanully, near Ballygarvan in a woodland by a river with a limestone well house on the gable of which crosses have been etched by visitors. A dense planting of bamboo has replaced a clootie tree.
Its pattern day is June 29, but it's traditional to visit the well on Christmas morning, and its waters are thought to have general curative properties.
Amanda Clarke offers insights from locals: “It is said that in Skibbereen and the district are many blessed wells. There is a well in Castlelands from which the water keeps fresh a long while. People visit the well on the twenty ninth of June. Two holy eels are in the well--interfering with these eels (touching or harming them) is sure to bring negative repercussions.
Clarke, Amanda. "Gazetteer." Holy Wells of Cork. Accessed November 31, 2018. https://holywellsofcork.com/gazeteer/.
Little Well of the Road
This well, also called Tobereenvohir, is not dedicated to any particular saint, and it is in the townland of Callaros Oughter.
The well is in a box shaped opening that has been carved into the rock face of a small winding road. It is slightly overgrown and there is a plaque on it that read "Holy Well." There is also a Mass Rock nearby and another well.
The pattern day was possibly June 23, the feast day of St. Eoin.
"Holy Wells of Cork" by Amanda Clarke
Power, Denis et al. Archeological Inventory of Count Cork Volume 1: West Cork. Dublin: The Stationery Office, 1994. PDF. 26 OCT. 2018.
Reenavanny Holy Well
This well is not dedicated to any particular saint, and is located in Reenavanny townland.
Amanda Clarke recounts that she was unable to find the well on the Island. The end of the island it is supposed to be on has a castle, possibly had a nunnery, a 16th Century tower, and what might be an ammunition store from World War One. She found many dips that may have been the well, but none of them definite. It is not listed in Archeological records.
It was believed to have general curative powers.
St Ruadhán's Well, Garranecore
St Ruadhán's Well in Garranecore, County Cork has a somewhat brief entry in the Archaeological Inventory: “Located in recess cut into bedrock. Now used for domestic purposes, has lost any religious associations.” It is situated near a bridge called St Ruadhán’s Bridge. The well is on the side of the bridge, which is under a mass of spindly birch trees that makes the area look tricky to get to. The well is enclosed in a large, modern, circular cement pipe. The water is abundant and exceptionally cold and fresh. It looks like it has been used for some sort of domestic purposes.
Feast Day is the 15th of April. Traditionally, the day the cuckoo is meant to make its first call.
No prayer rounds are mentioned. However, the path has once been metaled and contains the hallmarks of a Mass Path.
Clarke, Amanda. "Gazetteer." Holy Wells of Cork. Accessed November 4th, 2018.
Ó Riain, Pádraig. The Dictionary of the Saints of Ireland
St. Ruadhán’s Well, Courtaparteen
St. Ruadhán’s Well of Sandy cove, Kinsale, in the townland of Courtaparteen, is tucked into a field boundary and has a semi-circular basin full of fresh clear water. The concave stone wall contains a slabbed shelf, full of offerings – white pebbles and a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary. A single white rag hangs above the well.
The waters of the well are thought to cure warts and sore eyes. The Feast day of St Ruadhán (his name can be spelt in many different ways) is the 15th April.
Ruadhán is said to have caused the downfall of the ancient kingdom of Tara for he cursed the High King, Diarmuid Mac Cerbhaill, after he had gone against the rules of Christian sanctuary and wrenched a hostage hiding in a church. Aengus the Culdee in his Féilire, a sort of catalogue of saints written around 780AD, praised him as such:
An excellent flame that does not wane,
that vanquishes urgent desires.
Fair was the gem,
Ruadhán, lamp of Lorrha
Clarke, Amanda. "Gazetteer." Holy Wells of Cork. Accessed November 31, 2018.
Skour Well
Located in the townland of Garranecore, Skour Well, also known as Tobar na Sceabhrach is dedicated to St Ina.
According to Amanda Clarke, this well is just a short walk north from Tobarín na Súl and is tucked away on the side of the small road. The water comes out from the land at ground level and is fresh and clear. Behind the well is a u-shaped stone well house, with a small niche full of votive offering and statues. The water seeps out of the shallow basin onto the white stone-covered foreground. The well is renowned for its healing qualities. It is also said that the water will never boil. Many of the statutes are to the Blessed Virgin Mary, but the well is dedicated to St Ina who has given her name to Lough Hyne. Behind this is a rag tree which is adorned with ribbons of many colors. Tobarín na Súl suffered badly during Storm Ophelia when hundreds of trees were flattened in the woods. The well still survives but is currently covered. (January 2018)
The well is known for its general healing qualities.
Skour Well's pattern day is May Eve, April 30. Originally the rounds were held on May Eve, the start of the ancient festival of Bealtine. It would have followed a set path, probably also taking in Tobarín nal Súl. The pattern day eventually stopped, but now an open-air Mass is held here every May Eve.
Many different statues of the Blessed Virgin Mary are left there and a rag tree is adorned with ribbons of many colors.
Amanda Clarke’s Blog provides a story form a local: “Terri Kearney, who interviewed many residents of Lough Hyne for her book Lough Hyne; from Prehistory to the Present, remembers one man telling her how amused locals were to see a family camped near the well and on taking water from the well being flummoxed as to why it wouldn’t boil! Terri’s father was a great believer in the powers of the well and he firmly asserted that water would not boil. Her mother was of a more skeptical nature and decided to play a trick! On Terri’s Confirmation Day the family went to Lough Hyne as was traditional. Her mother took some water from the well and took it back home where she boiled the water and made tea for her father. On asking how the tea was her father replied that it was a grand cup of tea altogether. Her mother revealed what she had done and he spat it across the kitchen! Living dangerously all round!”
Sunday’s Well, Agharinagh
Dedicated to the King of Sunday, this well is in the townland of Agharinagh. According to Amanda Clarke, the well is hidden but still very much revered. It is a secret, but powerful place only known to those it matters to. A horseshoe of mossy stones curves around the well. A lintel slab lays on top of the stone and is covered in many offerings. There is also a slab in front of the well which allows access to the water adjacent to the well. Crosses are etched onto the lintel stone and the mossy side stones. Behind the well is a large amount of stones that were possibly left by pilgrims as part of rounds. The well is somewhat neglected, but it is still visited by elder locals in the towns of Magoola, Agharinagh and Dromgouna.
The well is said to have cured lameness.
Holy water bottles, statues, figurines, candles, a crucifix bearing an elongated and emaciated Jesus were left as offerings on the stones surrounding the well.
The Schools’ Folklore Collection provided many stories about this well in Amanda Clarke’s blog. “There are many stories connected with this spot one of which was about an old man from Dromgouna whose name was Paddy Sullivan. He thought he was called one night to plant a tree alongside the well so that people could hang their offerings on the branches. He rose next morning and planted the tree which can still be seen growing there. It is said that Mass was celebrated there in Penal Times. It is now known by the name of Sundays’ Well and people still visit it on a Sunday to pray. (0348:177)
Clarke, Amanda. "Gazetteer." Holy Wells of Cork. Accessed November 4th, 2018. .
Sunday’s Well, Kilmore
Sunday's Well (or Tobairin an Domhnach) in the townland of Kilmore is dedicated to the King of Sunday or Christ.
Amanda Clarke describes this as a little well that has been revered for many centuries. Through a red wicket gate there is a helpful sign and a path is laid out with discernible stones. The well, lying flat in the ground, is roughly pentagonal shaped. The water clear and deep. It was renovated in the 1970s with a little plaque that informs the reader of its healing properties.
It has curative properties for sore eyes.
A sandwich box, tucked behind a tree trunk, contains a variety of offerings and a notebook and pencil if someone wants to leave a prayer or comment.
Amanda Clarke’s Blog provides a story. According to Holland (1908): local tradition tells that the well was formerly located 60 yards west of its present site, but that one of the lords of the manor gave orders to his Stewart to have the well closed …. very soon the water sprang up again in its present site and the people continued to pay their rounds as before.
Sunday's Well, Lissanisky
Sunday’s Well is dedicated to the King of Sunday or Christ. According to Amanda’s Clarke, the well is in Lissanisky townland tucked into the cliff face with a small slab above it. The well is very overgrown, and there are stone slabs lying to the right of the well. The largest stone bares many inscriptions including the date 1753, only just discernible with an M just below it. A cross is inscribed below with the letters IHS. IHS is also known as the Holy Name of Jesus in the Catholic church. Another cross is carved below these letters. Tucked into the base of this stone is a smaller slab, also cross marked.
No offerings were left at this well, but the carved stones are referred to as the Altar Stones and mark the site of the Mass Rock.
Clarke, Amanda. "Gazetteer." Holy Wells of Cork. Accessed November 4th, 2018. .
Sunday's Well, Raffeen
Dedicated to the King of Sunday or Christ, this well is in Raffeen townland down a small boreen off a steep roadside. The wellhouse fits into the bank and is supported by built up stone walls of limestone lintel. The basin is semi-circular with a flat slab in the front for paying respects. The supporting wall on the left has a cross etched into it and is now very mossy. The water is fresh, clear, and abundant and runs from the well into a stream on the other side of the bank. The area is rich in ferns and palms.
It is a Sunday’s Well, dedicated to the King of Sunday, Christ himself, and was presumably visited on this day in the past.
Amanda Clarke’s Blog provides information from a source. Casey, writing in 1983, recorded that rounds were performed here forty years ago.
Sunday Well, Rooves Beg
This well in Rooves Beg also goes by the name of Tobar Riogh an Domhnaigh and is dedicated to the King of Sunday.
According to Amanda Clarke’s Blog, this well is signed and can be found right on the roadside. The road is quiet, but it was once the main butter route between Kerry and Cork. A neat stone wellhouse is surrounded by two curved benches and an array of potted shrubs. A concrete cross lies on top of the structure, draped with a rosary; and a pretty plaque depicting the Mother and Child is pinned to the front. Above the well is a little shelf with a painted Blessed Virgin Mary (BVM), flanked by statues of Jesus and St Patrick. The shelf is adorned with all sorts of offerings and blue is the predominant theme. In front, there is a blue kneeler made out of a wooden stool and covered with a gardener’s kneeling pad to make life comfortable for pilgrims. Steps lead down into the water with a stone slab at the front. The water is fresh and abundant and a red cup with a heart-shaped rim is available for drinking the water. Another name for the well is Tobarin an Aifrinn, Little Well of the Mass, and Mass was held here during Penal Times. A Mass Rock lies close to the well, also beautifully kept.
The water was considered effective for a general cure after three visits. The well was traditionally visited on Good Friday and Easter Sunday when rounds were paid. Today, the Rosary and prayers are said on August 15th, but May is also a popular time to visit. The well is decorated with flowers and candles that were left as offerings.
Clarke, Amanda. "Gazetteer." Holy Wells of Cork. Accessed November 4th, 2018. .