A trip across the Kerry Border 1: Kenmare

Himself is walking the Kerry Way and required a lift to Kenmare – a great opportunity to nip across to County Kerry, enjoy the sights and possibly seek out a few holy wells.

The drive is a fabulous one – everything just gets bigger and more spectacular and more rugged almost the minute you are over the border.

I was soon far from the madding crowd and taking a wrong turn in Kenmare ended up on the road to Kilgarvan – my intended destination for the next day but hey, the sun was shining I was on the right road and the wells sounded intriguing.

St Peter’s Well & St Paul’s Well, Kilpadder

The usual small roads, camomile and daisies blooming in the centre, meandered inland. I parked and spotted a derelict kissing gate – always a promising sign, it had to have once led somewhere exciting.

Behind it was a long boreen, dense trees on either side and the sound of two cuckoos calling to each other across the fields, the first I had heard this year. GPS on I followed the track for a hundred metres or so then swerved off across a field towards woods.  Another beautiful yet neglected little gate led into a verdant and overgrown walled enclosure.

The most extraordinary and unexpected sight presented itself – a full size crucifixion tableau in its own enclosure. Quite unnerving yet compelling.

This is how the Archaeological Inventory describes the site:

 In a wooded area, at the base of outcropping rock on the S bank of the Owbeg River and c. 30m W of St Paul’s Well (KE094-001003-). This well, which is dedicated to St Peter, is situated in the W half of a roughly oval area (diam. c. 80m E-W) which is enclosed by an earthen bank and accessed by a gate at W. Inside the enclosing bank is a path around which pilgrims to the well walk while making the ’rounds’. The well (D 0.37m) is surrounded by three upright stone slabs enclosing a rectangular area (0.65m N-S; 0.5m E-W) which abuts the N face of the outcropping rock and it is fed by a natural spring from which a steady flow of water emerges. The outcropping rock above the well bears three roughly incised crosses (KE094-001002-) on its N face and a statue and cups lie on its upper surface. The smaller St Paul’s Well (KE094-001003-) is c. 30m to the E at the edge of the path. Nearby, a crucifix and a statue are housed in a purpose-built shelter. According to local information, ’rounds’ continue to be made here on 28/29 June. St Peter’s well is the first station and St Paul’s well is the second station visited during the ’rounds’ here.

Archaeological Inventory, County Kerry

The enclosure remains but everything is now covered in dense layers of moss and undergrowth, dominated by a large, white statue of St Peter on a plinth, accompanied by a smaller statue of the Christ child. St Peter looked a bit haggard and melancholy, a hand outstretched rather forlornly.

In front of him was a mossy rock which I later learned was originally a Mass Rock. The cross inscribed stones described by the Inventory were difficult to identify but the rock to the left of this image may have two crosses etched into it:

Three small plain crosses have been roughly incised by pilgrims on the N face of outcropping rock at the base of which is St Peter’s well (KE094-001001-). The easternmost cross (shaft 0.15m; arm 0.17m; D 0.005m) is the smallest and the westernmost cross (shaft 0.25m; arm 0.13m; D 0.15m) is the largest. The crosses show evidence of recent rubbing and there is a small stone beside them for this purpose.

KE094-001002

The rocks have since been identified and photographed by Gail Tangney

The well itself lay underneath the feet of the saint. Water ran from between the rocks down and out towards the nearby River Owbeg. A  heavy leaf-strewn slab of metal prevented close inspection. The water contained a trout and the Irish Tourist Association Survey for Kerry (ITA) related a story of a 12 year old boy suffering from paralysis being brought to the well. He spotted the trout and was cured.

Behind St Peter, an ivy clad structure contained the Calvary: three white lifesize statues, Jesus on the cross, watched mournfully by his mother Mary, and St John. According to the ITA, it was erected by a parish priest, Father John Cavill. Local information revealed that the statues were brought here in the 1930s after the closure of a church in nearby Kilgarvan.

There were originally two wells in this area and I was stupidly confused by the entries in the Archaeological Inventory and thought they were in separate sites. I spent ages trying to find the second well outside the enclosure. It was a wonderful area though, right down by the river, full of wildflowers but also sadly a car graveyard – this one resplendent in BVM blue.

It was only later that I realised the second well, dedicated to St Paul, was within the original enclosure, now hidden by undergrowth, probably in the thicket of trees to the left of the tableau. When Gail visited in 2021 , the site had been cleared and the smaller well visible, marked with itso own statue and array of small cups.

St Paul must always have played second fiddle to St Peter’s Well for this is the only one marked on the old OS maps and the townland itself directly refers to St Peter: Kilpadder- Cill Pheadair – the church of Peter. As with wells, St Peter is above St Paul in the hierarchy of saints but both apostles share the same feast day – 29th June.  The correct term for this particular feast day is a Solemnity and it is in fact a Holy Day of Obligation and a public holiday in some countries including Malta. And here’s another interesting fact – Peter Paul Rubens was so called  as he was was born on eve of the feast day, 28th June 1577.

On my return to my car I met Tommy, who lived and farmed nearby. We had a good old chat and he gave me some more information. He could remember when the wells attracted large crowds, especially on the pattern day June 29th. The rounds were paid, people saying five Hail Marys at each well and taking the water. Both wells were visited as part of the rounds but he said St Paul’s Well had fallen into disuse many years previously and would be almost impossible to find. He recalled that in the1980s, Mass was still held here every year and mentioned how it was customary to stand silently in the enclosure for five minutes before departing, in order to leave all you troubles within. He bemoaned the fact that the site was now neglected but he, and a handful of others, still made the annual trek to the well on the saints’ feast day. An extraordinary place.

Edit: I returned to this site in April 2022 and finally found St Paul. A weather-beaten statue of the saint marked the spot. The well was stone lined and semi-circular and the water fresh, cold and clear,

The site was looking as magical and mossy as ever, the wildflower dense. It was easy to see the rounding path leading through the trees.

The Mass rock was cleared moss, the crosses clearly seen. It remains and extraordinary and powerful place.

Dromore Well, Tobar an Ghrathaigh, Well of the Ferns, Dromore

On the other side of Kenmare heading towards Caherdaniel there is another well that sounded interesting. I decided to take a look and was firstly most impressed by the road – straight, well made and no bumps – and secondly, the well was very clearly signed, right at the edge of the road. There was even a layby.

The signs continued, leading down a well maintained path deep into dense forestry, part of what was once the Dromore Castle estate  .

The well itself was tucked into the banks, a couple of tall fir trees directly over it.

A rough well house of slabs mingled with the tree roots but the water seeped out clear and fresh disappearing down the glen. The Archaeological Inventory describes it as a rock-cut hemispherical hollow which I suppose it is – a rough stone wellhouse built up at the foot of the tree.

The water is said to hold a cure for toothaches, sore eyes and nervousness.  It was traditionally visited on Good Friday when rounds were paid:

…  It is also frequented for cure of such ailments as toothache, eye injury, nervousness. Three rounds of circulation journeys are paid and the Rosary recited, Rounds are made in clockwise (West to east) direction. Older inhabitants recited Our Father, Hail Mary and Creed. Water of well was applied to the affected part. It was also drunk but not removed or carried away. Offerings were made on completion of ritual. These consisted of beads, statues, sacred pictures, holy water fonts etc and were placed beside the well on the north side principally. Pieces of cloth & other objects were affixed to tree or bush around the well.

SFC:129-31:0465

It was nice to see that the well was still revered and a variety of offerings had been placed on the stone lintel – coins, shells, mass cards

Rags and ribbons fluttered in the trees.

Like many other wells, the water was here was always meant to stay bountiful and was never able to boil:

… An old legend is still told of the well. Many years ago it is said there was a very warm summer. All the wells in Dromore went dry save Tobar a Ráiaig, The O’Mahony’s took some of the water from the well for certain purposes. They put some of the water upon the fire to boil but it would not get warm. It remained cold. They took it back to the well again. 

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The name is a strange one and the source in the Schools’ Folklore Collection suggests that it means Well of the Ferns or Well of the Snowdrift.

… The name is supposed to be translated ”The well of the Ferns’, locally- ferns of various kinds are very luminescent round the well. It may also mean ”Well of the Snow drift’ … An old resident, named Peter O’Connor states that his mother informed him that the patron saint of the well was Saint Graham.

Consulting a translator Ráiaig means hurricane, yet Ghrathaigh means love!  if anyone can help here I would much appreciate some advice. And I’m not sure there is a saint Graham!

A faded notice informed that the area had been maintained by the Rural Social Scheme which was launched in 2004 , funded by the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs. Good work. A calm and peaceful spot, still revered and appreciated.

Revisited in January 2024 the well remains in good health.

Two other wells are in Kenmare town should you be visiting: Lady’s Well and St Finian the Leper

The location of these wells can be found in the Gazetteer,

Many thanks to Tommy for his information about St Peter’s Well. Thanks also to Gail Tangney for supplying photos of St Paul’s Well.