A Peregrination Part 3: The home run

Having toured North Cork in part 2 of her peregrination, visited three possible sisters and a brother, St Gobnait remains in County Cork for the last leg of her journey; but before embarking on the home straight makes an inexplicable journey down to West Cork – sure, why wouldn’t you!

Kilgobbin, Ballinadee

St Gobnait then travelled west to the most scenic part of the country and my local well, just for the craic I reckon!

Lady’s Well, Tobar Mhuire, Beach (CO118-020)

Lady’s Well, Tobar Mhuire, is a secret and interesting site just outside Bantry, comprising a holy well and Mass Rock tucked against a hillside. Our Lady is said to have appeared here when a priest was illegally saying Mass during Penal Times; she swept her cloak around proceedings and allowed the priest to escape. I was told on good authority by a local historian that St Gobnait had visited the well and rested here, she may even be the original patron. The well is still active, holds a cure for sore eyes and contains a blessed fish.

Tearing herself away from West Cork, St Gobnait set off cross country in a north easterly route.

Kilgobnet, Dripsey

We next find her near Dripsey where there is a townland called Kilgobnet. I have been told that the well is in a glen near Kill Abbey but is severely overgrown. Could the Abbey here be a reference to Gobnait? It’s not clear if there are any remains of either – an excursion required post Covid.

From Dripsey she set off west and next appears in Clondrohid.

St Gobnait’s Stone & Bullaun, Clondrohid (CO070-039001)

Just outside the graveyard are two large bullaun stones, the largest and most prominent is called St Gobnait’s Stone.

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When I visited, a local woman explained that the saint had seen three white deer here and had left the stones as reminders of her visit. The stones are still revered and the water that collects in them considered good for curing warts. There remains a tradition of carrying a coffin destined for the graveyard around St Gobnait’s Stone:

Another round is made at Clondrohid Graveyard, 3 miles W. of Macroom. The coffin is always borne around a stone outside entrance gate called St. Gobnait’s Stone.

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Her presence is still clearly treasured in Clondrohid for close by is an attractive little shrine, beautifully maintained.

Perhaps by now she could scent that the nine white deer were not far away and swiftly carried on in a westward direction.

Holy Well, Kilgobnet (CO059-065003)

Tiredness must have been setting in by now, but reassuringly three deer were spotted just outside Shroneagare. This entry in the Schools Folklore Collection conveys her exhaustion:

… she plodded her weary way into the parish of Clondrohid, where she met three deer in the townland of Killgobnait, so called at the present day (there is a disused graveyard and rounds are performed there at the present day.)

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Here she gave her name to the townland, Kilgobnet, and caused a well to appear. Actually it’s another bullaun stone, a large one, filled with milky water and surrounded by chunks of quartz. There is one large single smooth pebble, reminiscent of a blessing (or cursing) stone.

The site is still revered and rounds are paid on St Gobnait’s Day, 11th February. It is quiet, wooded and peaceful; suddenly the atmosphere of the place becomes obvious for it is within a cilleen, a burial place for the unbaptised. This cilleen has special reverence as it is considered to be on consecrated ground having had St Gobnait’s personal blessing and protection. There may have been an ecclesiastical enclosure here at one point, and another bullaun is said to be further up the small boreen, not yet found.

St Gobnait rested, admired the three deer and then carried on. I rather hoped that she might have stopped at the nearby wonderfully named Well of the Place Abounding in Ants, Tobar Seanganach, but she resisted the opportunity and continued, stopping instead on the lush, green, hillside just above Baile Mhic Íre, Ballymakeera.

St Gobnait’s Stone & holy Well, Cloch Ghobnatan (CO058-013001)

Here she rested, possibly caused a well to spring up (it may have been there already) and was delighted to see further deer:

… she arrived at Killeen, in the parish of Ballyvourney. Here she found five deer. In memory of this the townland is called Cilleen na bhFiadhan) On the northern side of the public road passing here is a standing flag inscribed on which is a Maltese Cross, with a figure dressed in episcopal robes or female drapery.

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This writer has their number of deer slightly out for here St Gobnait traditionally saw six white deer and caused another well to spring up. The well has vanished, marked on the 1842 map as dry, but a stone said to have been connected with it remains and is a remarkable one, though not in its original position.

The Maltese Cross remains and the little figure, now very hard to see, is generally considered to be a bishop, or possibly a pilgrim – it is now used as the emblem for the Irish Pilgrim routes. It has been dated to the second half of the 7th century AD. The reference to another cilleen is interesting but this too seems to have disappeared.

Deer increasing by the minute St Gobnait must surely have felt that she was close to her destination.

It was while praying near na Cillini on a hill north of the village just mentioned that the saint, on raising her head beheld the deer browsing peacefully at the far side of the Sullane. A flag stone on which the saint resting her arm and her chin is still preserved in the lands of Mr D. O Loinsigh, although the stone was removed in the hateful days of tyranny and Catholic persecution.

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Coming down off the hills towards the Sullane River, wooded on each side, she stopped to cleanse and restore her beautiful white feet in the icy cold river – as I have done on occasion! There in the dappled woodland surrounding Baile Mhúirne, Ballyvourney, she saw her nine white deer, sleeping quietly. She had finally arrived at the place of her Resurrection, the site where her soul would eventually rise to Heaven.

An epic peregrination, perhaps not as extensive as St Brendan who got as far as North America, but impressive nonetheless. By my calculations, she covered a distance of approximately 934km, left a trail of 18 wells connected to her, gave her name to six townlands and saw 35 white deer! Everywhere she went she continued to build up a reputation for sanctity, kindness and healing.

A quick mention about white deer and their significance. In his absorbing book, The Man who Gave His Horse to Beggar, John Connell follows St Aidan on his peregrination (he is said to have saved a stag from being hunted by dogs) and describes how white stags were obvious choices for myths and stories in both Christian and pre Christian traditions due to their striking appearance. In the Celtic tradition they could be seen as messengers from the Otherworld, whilst in Christian teachings could represent Christ. White deer are not albinos but have a a condition called leucism, which causes skin and hair to lose its natural colour. The handsome fella above was not seen in Ballyvourney but Dunham Massey, Cheshire!

Ecclesiastical Site & St Gobnait’s Holy Well, Tobar Ghobnatan (CO058-034009)

How pleasant it must have been to rest in Ballyvourney where it is possible St Gobnait was greeted by St Abbán, her mentor or even another brother, who was already established hereabout. Some sources say that he was already so impressed by her sanctity that he gave her land and helped her establish an ecclesiastical centre for women. Soon the centre became known for its healing and charity to the sick and the poor, St Gobnait herself much admired. She remained here for the rest of her days and is buried here, her shrine, ula láir, the second station in the round and the most sacred place on the extensive site.

It is not known when pilgrimages began but in 1601 Pope Clement VIII granted a:

Special indulgence of ten years and quarantines to the faithful who would visit the Church of Gobnait in the parish of Ballyvourney, in the Diocese of Coyne on her feast-day, would confess and receive Holy Communion, and would pray for peace among Christian Princes, for the expulsion of heresy and the exaltation of the holy Mother Church.

Saint Gobnait of Ballyvourney, Eilís Uí Dháiligh

Two years later O Sullivan Bere and his clan stopped here on the second leg of their notorious and wretched journey, arriving on New Year’s Day 1603, offering prayers to the saint for help with their journey:

On the next day, the first of January, 1603, starting off in the early morning, he reached before midday the populous village of Ballyvourney, dedicated to St. Gobnata. There the soldiers paid such vows as each one list, gave vent to unaccustomed prayers, and made offerings beseeching the saint for a happy journey.

Writing of Philip Ó Sullivan, brother of Dónal Cam

The site continues to flourish – there are two churches (a ruined Medieval one and a disused Protestant church), St Gobnait’s house, an old graveyard, her shrine and two holy wells. The main well, Tobar Ghobnatan, is in a beautiful spot. The water is abundant and exceptionally good, and there is of course a blessed fish within.

It remains active and cherished with two pilgrimage days – 11th February, St Gobnait’s feast day and Whitsun, both dates attracting large crowds. Deer are represented literally everywhere.

She remains a vibrant and important presence, as my host said, when I stayed here for a few days: Gobnait, she’s a fine woman!

She is indeed a fine woman and because of this deserves one more blog to examine some of her achievements and the artefacts and folklore associated with her!

See the MAP for Gobnait’s imagined journey.