St. Benin

Dublin Core

Title

St. Benin

Description of Well Item Type Metadata

1 Name of well and saint

St. Benin

2 Townland, County, GPS

Kilbenan, Co. Galway 53.539659 -8.893323

3 Physical description of well and its surroundings

stone impoundment and surround; also encompassed by a fabulous ash tree (Fraxinus excelsior)- in the Heritage Tree Database of the Tree Council of Ireland

5 Pattern day

Garland Sunday, last Sunday in July

7 Prayer rounds and stations

the nearby round tower and early medieval church ruins

8 Stories

From the National Folklore Collection, https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4566066/4563899/4570418, Collector: Mary Coughlan, The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0027, Page 0051

Holy Wells
LanguageEnglishCollectorMary CoughlanInformantMrs Coughlan

Holy Wells

St. Benins Well. There is an old well in Killannon. It is called St. Benins well. People go there to perform stations. They go around the well a certain number of times and there are prayers to be said. They generally say them going around on their knees or on their bare feet. At the end of their rounds they bless them-selfs with the water in the well and tie on a bit of ribbon on the tree that grows in the well or leave little things such as pins, buttons, or bits of broken beeds. In the olden times there was supposed to be two lovely fish in the well going round and round until one day an old woman caught them and took them home and prepared them for dinner. She put them on the fire to cook. But if she had them on yet they would not cook. So she put them back again and they are not seen there ever since.
Mary Coughlan
Galway -Road
Tuam
I got this from my mother:
Mrs. Coughlan
Galway Road. Tuam

9 Publications

See above

Geolocation