Dublin Core
Title
St. Ite's Well
Description of Well Item Type Metadata
1 Name of well and saint
St. Ita’s Well, or Tobbershannoch (The Well of the Fox)
Saint Ita, "the Brigid of Munster"
Saint Ita, "the Brigid of Munster"
2 Townland, County, GPS
Faithlegg, Co. Waterford
3 Physical description of well and its surroundings
The well is situated right across (about two hundred yards) from the Catholic church within the Faithlegg townland in a formerly wooded area. It is part of the Killea parish, and the well itself is marked by signage. It is inaccessible now due to a brick structure and grate over it.
4 Cure
The holy water is used at the Faithlegg chapel for sanctification. According to the Schools Folklore Collection, a sick person visited in the early hours and was cured of his ailments, but the text does not specify what specific ailments with which he was afflicted (SFC 0653:21).
5 Pattern day
Her feast day and pattern day were observed on January 15, but it is unknown if it is celebrated at this time.
6 Offerings
No information regarding offerings is available at this time.
7 Prayer rounds and stations
According to Broderick, Canon Power informed him that rounds were once made but then became a discontinued practice in the 1850s (Broderick, 2016: 52).
8 Stories
Ita means “thirst for God.”
According to the Schools Folklore Collection, “one day Saint Ita was praying in the wood alongside the well when a child appeared to her. It was the Child Jesus. After a few moments He disappeared, and when Saint Ita went to the place where the Child had been standing she discovered His foot-print in the rock” (SFC 0653:20). This mark was there until a few years prior to the publication of Eugene Broderick's book, when it was filled in with cement.
Fish used to be in the well, and pilgrimages happened more often when this was the case, as they were believed to bring the cure.
According to Broderick there are four wells dedicated to her in Killeedy, Co. Limerick where she founded a convent, and she did not stay in Co. Waterford (Broderick, 2016: 20).
According to the Schools Folklore Collection, “one day Saint Ita was praying in the wood alongside the well when a child appeared to her. It was the Child Jesus. After a few moments He disappeared, and when Saint Ita went to the place where the Child had been standing she discovered His foot-print in the rock” (SFC 0653:20). This mark was there until a few years prior to the publication of Eugene Broderick's book, when it was filled in with cement.
Fish used to be in the well, and pilgrimages happened more often when this was the case, as they were believed to bring the cure.
According to Broderick there are four wells dedicated to her in Killeedy, Co. Limerick where she founded a convent, and she did not stay in Co. Waterford (Broderick, 2016: 20).
9 Publications
Broderick, Eugene. 2016. Patterns and Patrons: The Holy Wells of Waterford.
Schools Folklore Collection. 0640:43.
https://tidesandtales.ie/st-itas-holy-well-faithlegg/
Schools Folklore Collection. 0640:43.
https://tidesandtales.ie/st-itas-holy-well-faithlegg/
10 More
The well has now been replaced by a pump house at the same site.