Dublin Core
Title
St. Tiarnach's well
Description of Well Item Type Metadata
1 Name of well and saint
The name of the well is Tobbertierney, or in Irish, Tobar Tiarnaigh. It is associated with Saint Tiarnach of Clones.
2 Townland, County, GPS
The well is in the townland of Clontivren in the County of Fermanagh.
3 Physical description of well and its surroundings
The well is small and near a river. It is quite foul now but in the past had crystal waters.
4 Cure
The cure of the well is pains in the head, headaches, sinus and hay fever.
5 Pattern day
The pattern was on April 4th, St. Tiarnach's Day.
6 Offerings
There are no offerings now as the crann was pulled away by a farmer.
8 Stories
St. Nooa was on his way home from a wedding and was supposed to go on to Armagh but decided that he would stay at Clones because of the beauty of the place. St. Nooa was a man of great talent and thought himself to be better than St. Tiarnach and he would replace him as abbot of the monastery if he came into Clones. St. Tiarnach came out to meet St. Nooa at a stone near Clontivren and St. Nooa said he was so tired and couldnt go on so they stopped at the river in Clontivren, St. Tiarnach bent down and washed St. Nooa's feet and they rested. St. Tiarnach put it to St. Nooa that he was talented but he hadnt the cure of hayfever, St. Nooa took a sip of the water in the well and said by the grace of St. Patrick he had. St. Tiarnach put it to him again that he hadnt the cure of the headache, St. Nooa took a sip of the water and said he had. St. Tiarnach put it to him again and said he hadnt the cure of pains in the head, St. Nooa reached down and couldnt grasp the water from the well and said, I havent. St. Tiarnach went and rang his bell over the water and said but I do have the cure of pains in the head and stooped down and took the water from the well and drank it. St. Nooa knowing now that St. Tiarnach had the virtue of humility accepted St. Tiarnach as his abbot and swore never to walk into the gates of Clones, so he built a monastery there and lived a life of such humility that everyone who came to Clones was amazed by his virtue. In time young men came and joined him and from that day till the day the English came, pilgrims coming to Clones, or going to Lough Derg could stop and rest and be looked after at Clontivren monastery and the well, St. Tiarnachs well had the cure of headaches and sinus as all St. Tiarnach's wells and stones do.