In February 2016 I set out to visit all the holy wells in County Cork and record what I found. Little did I realise what an interesting, eye opening and sociable journey it would be!
The Archaeological Inventory for County Cork (2014) lists around 356 holy wells. Of this number around 50 are described as not found (they may have been flooded, eroded, ploughed, vanished, become inaccessible, forgotten), so in reality I have been working on the premise that around 300 wells are probably extant. (Worth noting though that some wells recorded as having vanished have enjoyed a resurgence so really all wells should and will be investigated, time willing).
Nearly three years later, I have visited approximately 290 holy wells (be warned, numbers are currently a bit fluid and may not add up, but they will be tightened!) and have around six still to visit and record, mainly in the Cobh and Blarney areas. Please let me know if there’s a well you think I’ve forgotten.
As you can see, holy wells are literally everywhere – yes even in other counties!
Adventures have been had, a huge variety of wells noted and some wonderful encounters enjoyed along the way. The next few blogs will examine some observations and findings. First a few statistics.
Some (initial) statistics
Of the approximately 290 wells visited 43 have vanished ie there was no physical sign of them. Add this number to those recorded in the Inventory as not found and this give a rough total of around 90 wells that no longer exist. A few of those that have vanished still linger in the memory such as this Eye Well, Tobernasog, in Rathoon East, where the landowner showed us to the spot where the well traditionally had been.
Another 104 wells have been abandoned or are inactive ie they still exist in one state or another but had no signs of having received pilgrims in the near past. Here are a few examples.
114 wells were found to be active ie there were signs that people had visited. Of that number 51 received what looked like casual or infrequent visitors – offerings were sparse or old and mossy.
The remaining 63 holy wells seemed to receive regular pilgrims. Criteria for differentiation includes upkeep of well, extent of offerings, pilgrimages, condition of the water and general observations. The examples below show wells that are still very active.
Encouragingly, several wells have been restored over the last few years, some with more panache than others.
It may be possible to make a very general summing up: just under a third of all holy wells in County Cork have vanished; one third are abandoned or inactive, and just over a third are still being revered. I was surprised and rather depressed to find how many have been abandoned. It would be wonderful to see more wells brought back to life – a slight word of warning though, holy wells are protected monuments and as such any restoration work should be carried out under the guidance of the National Monuments Service.
You have been doing a wonderful thing, Amanda. But the percentage still in regular use and cared for is far too small!
I was quite despondent when I did the maths. I suppose you could be more optimistic and say over two thirds still exist!
Tobar Ruadhán in Cuirtaparteen was and is only know today by its Irish name by the local population. Interpreting the name in English and publishing it as thus only contributes to the deterioration of minor Irish place-names that never had English names in the first place. Eamon Lankford had a golden rule with regard to place-names, he said they can be interpreted but should never be translated. This would hold through with most collectors of Dinnseanchas. Many of these names probably date from the early medieval period, to change them to English after all this time would amount to cultural vandalism.
Thank you for your comment and I fully understand what you are saying. However, wherever possible I have included both the Irish and English name of a well if known. Sometimes a well will have several variations of a name and if possible I have included all versions. I have also included names that have been given to me my people I have met in the field. As regards St Ruadhán’s Well – it is not marked on the historic OS maps but is referred to as St Ruadan’s Well in a entry in the Schools’ Folklore Collection ( 0320, Page 242). Bruno O Donoghue in his Parish Histories and Place Names of West Cork also refers to a holy well near St Ruadhan’s church and unusually, does not give its name in Irish. To keep captions simple I had not included any names in Irish. I cannot think that referring to Tobar Ruadhán as St Ruadhán’s Well is taking too many liberties.
Thanks for your blog. I enjoy reading it. I saw a few of Cork’s holy wells in the spring – it was a surprising and fascinating experience for me, as there is nothing like that where I come from.
Thanks Ana Kim – wells really are fascinating aren’t; they , something to be treasured. Thanks for looking.
Brilliant project! Thanks for sharing your work.
Thanks so much Nuala – it’s a fascinating project and one that will most certainly be on going.
I have said it before,reading your blog has been a great joy.many thanks to you Amanda.and I for one (who,like many,does not speak gaelic)certainly enjoy knowing the English translations of the place names.
Thanks Tim, your support has been much appreciated – I won’t stop just yet!
I’ve been looking forward to your statistical summary, Amanda. I actually think that it’s amazing that two-thirds can still be found and that a third are active! I wonder if one could extrapolate for Ireland as a whole. This is an important contribution to the study of Irish history, folk beliefs, religion and culture, and so well researched.
Thanks Finola, the statistics are proving very interesting and not always what you expect!