Wells of County Dublin
St Begnet's Well
Also known as Scurvy Well, St Begnet's Well is is located near St. Begnet’s church on Dalkey Island. This spring well is enclosed by a white plaster structure and is located right about the high-tide mark on the west side of the island.
It's known to cure scurvy, vitamin C deficiency, and other ailments.
It is believed that St. Begnet baptized locals at this well in the seventh century. Legend has it that fishermen spotted a man on the island but when they went to look for him, he disappeared, and a well appeared in his place that cured the fisherman’s rheumatism.
St. Brighid’s Well, Baldurgan
St Bridghid's Well, Brideswell Commons
St Bridghid's Well is in Brideswell Commons, and sits in a large enclosure that has been very well maintained through the years. The well is located on Lilliput Lane off of Boot Road in Clondalkin. The enclosure where the well is located contains a statue of Saint Bridghid and a “rag tree”. The stone structure around the well dates back to 1761 and the raining that is currently around the well was donated by workers from a paper mill in the 1940’s.
The well's water cures eye disorders, particularly around February 1st, three visits to the well are needed for the cure to be successful, and it is particularly effective for young girls.
During road work that took place in the 1990’s the water source connected to the well was severed, and it dried up for the first time; the well was then connected to main water lines.
Branigan, G. (2012). Ancient & holy wells of Dublin.
St Brighid’s Well, Castleknock Village
St Brighid’s Well is in Castleknock Village. The well is located in an alcove and stands outside of the boundary wall of St. Brigid’s Church of Ireland Church; the well is green and appears to be a spigot with a pump, and has always been covered with a pump in living memory.
It has been known to cure disorders of the eyes; the waters of the well are said to be effective in curing human disease, but toxic to all other animals.
St Bridget's Holy Well
This well is found in Dublin County in the Clondalkin site, south of St Cronan Mochua monastery.
St Catherine's Well, Drumcondra
St Catherine's Well is located in the townland of Drumcondra. The structure housing the well was built into the side of a house. Currently, the well is located along the main walkway of Griffith park, but all surface remains of the well were removed due to repeated vandalism. A brass plaque attached to a fence around the park marks the approximate location of the original well.
The water of St Catherine's Well cures sore eyes, toothaches, and whooping cough; cures only worked if the water was drank from a skull.
There are no annual celebration or pattern days within living memory.
The spring that fills Saint Catherine’s well rose beneath the kitchen floor of a home in Drumcondra. The structure that housed the well at the time was built into the side of the house. After the house was demolished, local officials made efforts to preserve the well by using ornamental shrubbery, which has since then disappeared. The practice of drinking the well’s water from a skull points to pre-Christian rituals.
Branigan, Gary. 2012. Ancient & Holy Wells of Dublin.
St Catherine's Well, Kinsealy
This well is found in Kinsealy near a monestary founded by St Doulagh.
There is another Holy well that is unnamed near St. Catherine's and the church as well. It was used in full immersion baptisms.
It was known to be used by lepers.
Chink Well
Located in a small dark sea cave on the shoreline south of Tower Bay on the peninsula of Portrane in the townland of Quay, this well is a ccessible only at low tide as the cave is inundated at high tide twice a day.
Chink Well was resorted to for the cure of whooping cough, previously known as chin cough.
Pieces of bread were left as offerings, and it was necessary to visit the well before sunrise to obtain the cure, but it was only deemed successful if the bread was witnessed floating out to sea at the next high tide. Buttons and rags are also left behind.
Ancient and Holy Wells of Dublin. 2012> Dublin: History Press.
St. Colmcille's Well, Oldcourt
The well is located in a small field on the East side of Ballycullen road in Oldcourt. A spring of clear water flows over a worn stone. The ite contains a statue of St. Comcille which was added in the 20th century due to efforts of local priests.
The well is believed to cure ailments of eyes, ears, and throat.
Its pattern day is the Sunday after June 9th.
A nearby tree previously had religious metals nailed into its bark as offerings, and rags also tied to the tree, but the tree fell in the 1960’s.
Local tradition states that St. Colmcille stopped at this well to drink water during one of his long journeys through Ireland and blessed the well during his stop. The well was rediscovered by a local postman in 1914.
Branigan, G. (2012). Ancient & holy wells of Dublin.
St Colmcille's Well, Swords
This well is dedicated to St Colmcille or St Columba, and can be found in the townland of Swords.
St Colmcille is said to have founded the monastery here in 512, though it may have been St Finan the Leper. There is a Round Tower nearby.
St Columba's Well
St Columba is said to have founded the monastery here in 512, though it may have been St Finan Leper. There is a Round Tower and Holy Well.
St Doulagh's Well and St. Catherine's Pond
St Doulagh's Well and St. Catherine's Pond are in the townland of Saintdoolaghs. Located adjacent to St. Doulagh's church near Balgriffin, the well has a 3-foot deep impoundment and is located within the only free-standing baptistery remaining in Ireland. Girls were baptized in the pond, while boys were baptized in the well. Branigan notes that the structure once held plaster frescoes on each of the four walls with images of St. Doulagh, St. Patrick, St. Brigid and St. Colmcille. A plaque also hung within with a Latin inscription comparing the holy well to Bethesda's sacred pool.
St. Catherine's Pond (enclosed with a stone impoundment and fed from the stream from St. Doulagh's well) was formerly visited to cure eye disorders.
Branigan, Gary. 2012. Ancient and Holy Wells of Dublin. Dublin: History Press.
Moss, Rachel. 2003. "St Doolagh's Church." Irish Arts Review, 20(2):122-125.
Swan, D. Leo. 1990. “ ‘St Doulagh’s’ Balgriffin.” In Excavations 1989: Summary Accounts of Archaeological Excavations in Ireland, Edited by Isabel Bennett, 18-19. Dublin: Wordwell.
Grumley's Well
This well is in the townland of Tiknock. It was a blessed well consulted for cures for general ailments, and rags were hung on the surrounding bushes.
Branigan, Gary. 2012. Ancient and Holy Wells of Dublin. Dublin: The History Press. See pp.122-123.
Lady's Well of Balcunnin
Lady's Well
Lady's Well is dedicated to the Virgin Mary, and is in Tyrrelstown/Mulhuddart on Church Road south of Mulhuddart's graveyard . Currently housed by a small blue and white stone structure, the well is also surrounded by a metal fence.
Its pattern day is “Lady day” September 8.
The original practice was for pilgrims to crawl on their hands and knees around the well. Prostrating themselves on the ground in front of the well head, they drank the well's waters, which are thought to cure sprains, cuts, bruises, rheumatism and sore eyes.
Legends states that the well was once offended and moved across the road to the location where it currently stands. Another legend states that there are nine curses in the water, but no one knows what exactly they are.
Branigan, G. (2012). Ancient & holy wells of Dublin.
https://digital.ucd.ie/view/ivrla:10329
2012. Ancient and Holy Wells of Dublin. Dublin: History Press.
St Maccalin's Well
St Maccalin, the patron saint of this well, was the founder of Lusk. The well is at a site called Grallach.
St. Margaret’s Well
Located in the front garden of a more recently built house on Glenageary Road, St Margaret's well was previously located on land belonging to a house known as ‘Tinoran’ which translates to ‘House of the Cold Spring Well’. The well is fairly large and has a horseshoe shaped concrete wall around it. There is a large cross slab made of granite in the concrete wall.
Local stories state that monks from Monkstown visited the well on their way to Bulloch Harbour. Local priests made efforts to re-establish a pattern day for this well in the 1980s but the tradition only lasted a couple of years.
Gary Branigan's 2012 Ancient and Holy Wells of Dublin.
St Mobhi's Well
Located in Grange townland on the grounds of the old Milverton Demesne, southwest of Skerries, St Mobhi's Well is a large stone surround with a flagstone in front of the stepped-descent into the well. A large sycamore tree is adjacent.
The cure actually is derived from drinking rainwater collected in a bullaun installed in the wall by the bottom step and to the right of the well itself.
The well is associated with St Mobhi or St Movee, a hermit who died in 630AD, about a century later than St Mobhi of Glasnevin.
Branigan, Gary. 2012. Ancient and Holy Wells of Dublin. Dublin: History Press.
St. Mochuda’s Well
This well is known locally as “St Cuddy’s Well,” but Gary Branigan records it as “St. Mochuda’s Well” (Tobar Mhochuda).
St. Mochuda’s Well is located in the Townland called Burrow, within Dublin county.
The well appears to be in a field within view of a lake and a roadway. According to Branigan, the well “is located at the end of Marsh Lane, just after a sharp left turn in the road in an area known locally as Chapel Bank.” Furthermore the well is “visible only as a large depression in the bank at the middle of the road, and is filled with stagnant, murky water, drained by a large flexible pipe. The original well, now submerged, is a small spring roughly lined with boulders,” (Branigan 20).
St. Mochuda’s Well is said to cure whooping cough.
On 1 August, a “large pattern took place.” This date is the same as the “Pagan Festival, Lúghnasadh, (Branigan 20).”
Locals say that the well possesses “a supernatural white eel.” Additionally, Branigan notes that the name likely came from a “chapel” that existed in the same location in the past.
Branigan, Gary. Ancient and Holy Wells of Dublin. 2012> Dublin: History Press.
St Patrick's Well, Trinity College
St Patrick's Well is located on the campus of Trinity College of Dublin. The well is located off a tree-lined pathway to the Provost's house stables in a narrow vault which extends under Nassau Street. This well was a famous location for ancient celebrations of Saint Patrick's day in Dublin.
There are rumors that students at Trinity college, due to their love of alcohol and drinking, drank the well dry when the spring connected to the well ran dry in 1729.
Learn more about St Patrick's Well
St Sylvester's Well
The well is located in Malahide by St. Sylvester’s Roman Catholic Church, the well is round with a pointed top, made of stone, and there appear to be openings on each side of the structure.
Known for its medicinal properties, the water is reported to have cured a wide range of diseases and ailments.
Its pattern day is August 15. Prayer rounds are approached from the north side and then the pilgrim moves east to west.
An eel was placed into the well until the 1890’s in order to purify its waters; Virgin Mary statues are also placed at the well.
The well is sometimes referred to by locals as the “Sunday well”, from the fact that the water was said to have first appeared on a Sunday.
Learn more about St Sylvester's Well.
Toberbawn
Toberbawn well can be found in the townland of Deansgrange in County Dublin. It's close to the Dean's Grange stream, and is now covered over and no longer visible.
It was believed that the water was good for eye problems which people used to wash their eyes and cloth was hung on the nearby hawthorn bush.
This well is no longer visited by anyone.
Tubbermaclugg Holy Well
Tubbermaclugg Holy Well is in the townland of Lucan, close to an ecclesiastical enclosure and graveyard. It has dried up since a pumping station was built about 20 yards away, but I remember it being wet before the development began. It is a National Monument but little remains of it visible to the untrained eye. I believe that there are possibly the traces of a low rectangular wall enclosing the site, the remains of a couple of steps down to the well, and the possible remains of the collapsed wellhouse that presumably held the bell. The name meaning "the well of the bell" in Irish.
It is supposed to hold a cure for diseases of the eye and ears.
No pattern is associated with it now.
St Winifred’s Well
St Winifred's Well is in St. Andrew’s Ward in Dublin located just outside of what was previously Farrington’s pub but is now "The Norseman" on Eustace Street in Temple Bar. The well appears to be made of stone and is round. The well was covered at some point but was rediscovered in the 1990’s when the street was being paved. When the well was rediscovered it was renovated and lit.
Now the well is often used as "a giant ash tray for party-goers" in the area. It is dedicated to a Welsh Saint, which might relate to the large number of merchants living in the area at the time (see Branigan, 2012).
Branigan, Gary. 2012.. Ancient & holy wells of Dublin. Dublin: History Press.