St. Patrick's Well

St. Patrick's Well

St Patrick’s Well

Slane, Meath

“In the 1830s John O’Donovan recorded the presence of St Patrick’s Well midway between the ruins of the seminary and the ruined church. This well had stonework as high as the surface of the ground…its waters ran dry every summer. The two holes on the stones were supposedly created by St Patrick’s knees. In the 1860s Cogan said the well was encompassed by a circular stone wall, down which was a flight of steps” (French 2012: 11).

“Stations were made there on St Patrick’s Day within the last few years” (French 2012: 11).

“The Hill of Slane is the traditional site for the lighting of the Pascal fire by St Patrick” (French 2012: 11).
"In the Schools Folklore Collection, a child recorded a cure associated with the well.: "In Slane there is a famous well, one which St Patrick was very much connected with. Every year a pilgrimage goes there to honour St Patrick and bring home some water which is said to have healing powers. One year there was in the pilgrimage a woman who could not leave the bed. She begged her friends to get her some of the water. Her friends forgot to bring it to her so they obtained some water from a near well and gave it to her. She drank it and got better because she thought she had the true water” (French 2012: 11-12).

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