Toberboice or St. Buithe's Well

Toberboice or St. Buithe's Well

Toberboice, Saint Buithe

Mell Townland, County Louth

Near a small industrial estate, down Toberboice lane, lies Buithe's Well, or Toberboice. The strong water flow used to supply the household and local brewery. Now, on the south side of the estate, it gushes from two clay pipes. It is still collected by residents of Mell for tea-making and drinking. There rests a large boulder by the well which warms in the sun and is a popular spot for relaxing.

The feast day for St. Buite is October 6, but it is unclear if this was associated with the well.

It has been argued that Toberboice, rather than a site at Mellifont Abbey, was the site of St. Buite's baptism. (Garry, 1990).

The well's origins are as follows: "When [St. Buite's] father wanted to have him baptised, only seawater was available. Two monks, who were passing in a boat on the Boyne, pressed the infant's finger into the ground and a spring gushed out." (Connolly and Moroney, 1998)

"Townland Survey of County Louth: Mell (Continued)" James Garry, 1990, pages 150-165 (https://vdocuments.mx/townland-survey-of-county-louth-mell-continued.html)
"Stone and Tree Sheltering Water: An Exploration of Sacred and Secular Wells in County Louth" by Susan Connolly and Anne-Marie Moroney (1998)

It is well known, and a point of pride, that St. Buite was born in Mell (Garry, 1990). There is also a song referencing and centering around this well, called "Replenish the well Toberboice" or "Come Replenish the Well" by Carmel Boyle.