St. Brigid's Well

St. Brigid's Well

St Brigid’s Well

Iskaroon, Meath

"St Brigid’s Well at Iskaroon, Dunderry, is located near the site of the church and graveyard of St Brigid. The well had a stone plaque which bears the following inscription: “Pray for the soule of of Robert, Lord Baron of Trimlestowne 1687.” The well is associated with the well at Tullaghanogue which bears a similar plaque. In the 1830’s the land was the property of Christopher Barnewall, a member of the Trimlestown family…The walls of the church had fallen down by the 1860’s and the graveyard had fallen out of use decades earlier. St Brigid’s Well, a short distance west of the church, was shaded by an elm tree in the 1860’s…There had been four walls surrounding the well but the front one had disappeared. A schoolgirl recorded that there was about three to four inches of water in the well. A glass had been put in the well to partake of the water but this too had disappeared. A bush grew over the well…Today the well is still being used as a source of water. It is now covered with a few corrugated iron sheets but the water is still clear and fresh. The Trimlestown stone sits beside a lone tree on the site of the nearby church and graveyard” (French 2012: 31).

“In the 1930’s a local schoolgirl said that headaches were cured at the well” (French 2012: 31).

1 February

“In 1942 the well was located on the lands of Mr. H. Kirwan, Tullyard. The well had almost fallen out of memory. The name of the townland, Iskaroon, Eiscir or Uisce Ruadhain, may be related to Tobar Rua in nearby Kilbride. There is a church dedicated to St Brigid at nearby Kilbride” French 2012: 31).

Thunder, John M. “The Holy Wells of Meath.” The Journal of the Royal Historical and
Archaeological Association of Ireland. Oct 1886-Jan 1887, pp 655-658.

French, Noel. 2012. Meath Holy Wells. Trim: Meath Heritage Centre.