St. Finian's Well

St. Finian's Well

Saint Finian's Well

Dromin, County Louth

The well is 5 to 6 feet wide, shaded and shielded by thorn trees and brambles, and near a household-use well in the Dromin Townland. Surrounding the well is a stone wall, created to allow for easier access. The water is described as "very deep with good, clear, water." Despite legends of great and ancient treasures in the bottom of the well, members of the local McCabe family cleared it out, but found nothing (Connolly and Moroney, 1998).

There are no specific cures associated with Saint Finian's well, although in 1956, Nicholas McCabe said that he'd heard legends of miraculous cures from the well. In the past, people visited the well before they left Ireland to drink the water and to pray for their eventual return (Coyle, 1956) (Connolly and Moroney, 1998).

St. Finian's Festival is on October 8th, and while the well used to be visited, it is no longer. Older people described how Stations were formerly held there, and that large numbers of tents and stalls would line the road to receive business from the pilgrims (Coyle, 1956).

Both of these practices appear to have occurred in the past, although sources conflict on when, and what they were.

"Holy Wells in the Parish of Dunleer" (1956) by Michael Coyle: https://www.jstor.org/stable/29740634?seq=6#metadata_info_tab_contents
"The Schools' Collection" Volume 0671, Page 149-150: https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/5008858/4961376
"Stone and Tree Sheltering Water: An Exploration of Sacred and Secular Wells" (1998) by Susan Connolly and Anne-Marie Moroney

The land around the well is the current sight of a local parish named after St. Finian, and a graveyard. It is rumored that it was also the site of a past monastery, although no official archaeological digs have been conducted.