Dublin Core
Title
St. Eigne's Well
Description of Well Item Type Metadata
1 Name of well and saint
The holy well at Mamore Gap
2 Townland, County, GPS
Uris Mana, Donegal
3 Physical description of well and its surroundings
Located 700' above sea level, within that Gap in the Uris mountains that separates Desertegney from Uris, the well is situated in the townland of Uris Mana. It is a small well in the midst of rocks a few yards from the Gap road. (The Schools’ Collection, Volume 1112, Page 387)
5 Pattern day
ndividuals pray at the site on a daily basis, expecially when communting. Public gatherings for services still happen. Long ago, it was the custom for people to go there to make the "turas" from the fifteenth of August, to the eighth of September, and some people still keep up that custom. (The Schools’ Collection, Volume 1112, Page 387)
7 Prayer rounds and stations
The turas was composed of going round seven heaps of stones, and saying any prayers you like, and you are saying any prayers you like, and you are supposed to throw a stone into every heap, when you are making the turas. The people take a drink of water in the well, and they say a prayer for the person that made the well, and they also say a prayer for the person that blessed the well. (The Schools’ Collection, Volume 1112, Page 387)
8 Stories
Who exactly blessed the well is debated. Some say that St. Egney (Eigne) blessed it (after whom Desertegney is named). Others say that when St. Columba was in sorrow he went to the Gap of Mamore to seek advice from Naom Muirseslac - who had a place of prayer there, and that maybe it was he who blessed the Well. (The Schools’ Collection, Volume 1112, Page 387)
9 Publications
The National Folklore Collection