Meedinmore Lough.Well

Dublin Core

Title

Meedinmore Lough.Well

Description of Well Item Type Metadata

1 Name of well and saint

Meedinmore Lough.

2 Townland, County, GPS

Meedinmore, Donegal.

3 Physical description of well and its surroundings

Meedinmore Lough is a large lough situated in a mountainous part of the district of the same name near Malin. It is said to be over one thousand feet in circumference and the strange feature about it is that although it lies about six miles from Killourt Bay the water is salty just like the water of the ocean. No rivers or streams flow into it, and in the driest season the water never falls to a low level. Boats have often been lost in it and it is said that no boar ever was steered successfully wither round or across the lake. (The Schools’ Collection, Volume 1114, Page 250)

4 Cure

The water is said to be blessed, but no specifics about its curative properties are listed. (The Schools’ Collection, Volume 1114, Page 250)

6 Offerings

After the rounds are made, there is an obligation to say a prayer on the hermit's grave, and it is customary to leave articles such as hairpins, pins, or ribbons on the grave. Many favors are said to have been obtained through this pious practice. (The Schools’ Collection, Volume 1114, Page 250)

7 Prayer rounds and stations

It is customary that anyone seeking favors whether spiritual or temporal makes a 'turas' to this lake. The obligation is to be fasting and to say as many 'Glory be to the Fathers' as one can while slowly walking barefooted three times round the lake. (The Schools’ Collection, Volume 1114, Page 250)

8 Stories

About the time of the Golden Age in Ireland a holy hermit named Maelma was supposed to abide in a ruse stone cabin near the lake and he is buried near it. (the mound supposed to be his grave is near the southern edge of the lake.) (The Schools’ Collection, Volume 1114, Page 250)

9 Publications

The National Folklore Collection

Geolocation