Dublin Core
Title
St. Mochua's Well
Description of Well Item Type Metadata
1 Name of well and saint
Well of Saint Mochua
2 Townland, County, GPS
Clashmore townland, Co. Waterford
3 Physical description of well and its surroundings
The well is at the end of Raheen Quay walk, where there is a sign posted leading to the well. It is situated at the top of a hill.
4 Cure
It is said to cure pains, and many visitors bring the well water home. There are also reports of it being an eye well, where visitors would sprinkle the water onto their eyes.
5 Pattern day
February 10
6 Offerings
No reports of offerings are noted at this time.
7 Prayer rounds and stations
Many believers go around the well three times and pray the rosary. It is a custom to do this especially on the pattern day, and to take the well water home.
8 Stories
It is said that two eels are in the well, and they are the genii loci of Saint Mochua and someone else.
According to the Schools Folklore Collection entry on the well, “Long ago it is said that this well was situated at the top of the village and that one morning a woman came out and washed some clothes in it. On the following morning she came again to do the same work, but there was no sign of the well. The people say that it was not right to wash clothes in the well as it was blessed. The well started to rise again about three fields away from its former place” (SFC 0640:43).
Apparently a local man Tom Lockamore came to the well to make rounds to cure his eye. He saw a trout in the well, and the trout splashed his eye. The eye was healed the next day (Broderick, 2016: 46).
According to the Schools Folklore Collection entry on the well, “Long ago it is said that this well was situated at the top of the village and that one morning a woman came out and washed some clothes in it. On the following morning she came again to do the same work, but there was no sign of the well. The people say that it was not right to wash clothes in the well as it was blessed. The well started to rise again about three fields away from its former place” (SFC 0640:43).
Apparently a local man Tom Lockamore came to the well to make rounds to cure his eye. He saw a trout in the well, and the trout splashed his eye. The eye was healed the next day (Broderick, 2016: 46).
9 Publications
Broderick, Eugene. 2016. Patterns and Patrons: The Holy Wells of Waterford. 46.
Schools Folklore Collection. 0640:43.
http://www.discoverclashmore.com/history.html
Schools Folklore Collection. 0640:43.
http://www.discoverclashmore.com/history.html
10 More
According to the Schools Folklore Collection, this is the only well in the parish.