In pursuit of two grumpy & enigmatic saints: a day on the Beara

Long ago St. Finnian and another Saint were out boating in the Kenmare River, and a British Man of War came along. The two Saints came into the land to preach to the people, and the owner of the Man of War stole their boat. When they came back to where they left it, they saw it tied on to the Man of War, and they followed it by land around the coast. The Man of War came in near Kilcatherine, and the two Saints followed it until they came to ‘Réidh Fineáin’. When they came to that place they lost sight of the boats, and one of the Saints gave a kick to the ground with his shoe, and he said ‘my curse on this place.’ As he was saying these words a well opened under his feet. A few yards away from this place St. Finnian gave another kick to the ground with his shoe and he said ‘my blessing on this place and the curing for man and beasts.’ Then he said ‘my curse on the rushes.’ As he was saying this a well opened under his feet. The old people say that since St. Finnian put this curse on the rushes that their tops are never seen green. This happened in May Eve and still people go to this place and make ’rounds’ as they are called there.

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Well that sounded a fascinating story and I had just been reading a blog that referred to a holy well in the churchyard at Kilcatherine, far out west on the Beara Peninsula – could this be it? There was only one way to find out, an expedition was required. After two days of gales and rain, the most beautiful day emerged. We packed a picnic, wellies, macs and maps and set off to investigate, a few other monuments earmarked enroute.

I should mention now that a lot of what follows is based on some some frustratingly vague sources, guesswork (possibly educated!) and a lot of optimistic imagination and meandering thinking.

The first stop presented no problems and was the attractive the wayside shrine on the Glengarriff to Castletownbere road. It’s always polite to just pay one’s respects here.

Continuing, a swift detour was taken beyond Adrigole to explore what is reputed to have been a holy lake.

Holy Lake, Derrylough

Off the R572, the road became tiny, winding upwards with spectacular views in all directions and finishing in a dead end. Luckily there was somewhere to park and turn almost opposite where the GPS reckoned the lake should be. The area was densely tangled with vegetation, very damp underfoot and a clamber across a boggy field led to the remains of the lake, now inaccessible.

Derrylough, Lough of the Oaks, is one of several fascinating holy lakes which once contained blessed fish and miraculous floating tussocks which moved from one side of the lake to the other on certain days of the year. It was considered to be the twin lake to Lough Mackeenlaun almost parallel on the North side of the Beara – already visited and now mainly dried up. One entry in the Schools’ Folklore Collection refers to Derrylough or Deireloch and it’s in Irish:

Tá ceithre tobaracha beannuithe san áit, ceann i gCillcaisgeáin, ceann i Deireloch, ceann i Liathruim, agus ceann i nDoireancharn. Sé an ainm atá ar an ceann i nDoireancharn ná loch a Caoínleán. Tugtar turas ann ar an t-ochtú lá de mhí Iúil. Núair a bhíonn duine ag túbhairt an turas deireann sé a phaidreacha ag an loc ar dtúis. Tá cloch cruinn sa pháirc agus gabhann sé tímpeall air naoi n-uaire agus deireann sé an phaidir gach úair a gabhann sé tímpeall agus deireann sé an Córoinn Mhuire ag a loc arís. Nuair a bhíonn na paidreacha ráidhte aca annsan deineann sé cros le dhá chipíní agus fágann siad ar bhruach an locha é. Tá cruinn ag fás mórthimpeall an locha agus tá cúig bancanna ar brú an locha agus dubhairt sean-daoine go seónseálann siad úair sa mblian acht ná bhfeachaidh aoinne riamh iad. Ólann siad an t-uisce agus nígheann siad an páir díobh a bhíonn ann. Fágann na daoine cnaipe nó leath-phingin nó cómra éigin ag an gCloch ‘na gabhann siad tímpeall. Thugadar fé an loch do thíormú dhá úair agus d’ísligh an t-uisce ar slíghe go bhfeichfá bun an locha. Níl aon iasc ann acht eascú agus tá mórán aca san inti agus cuid aca ana mhór.

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The gist seems to be: the lough was visited on the 8th July when pilgrims first prayed at the lough then paid rounds at a stone in the field, circumnabulating it nine times, reciting prayers. Once these were completed the pilgrim found two sticks, made the shape of a cross and left it at the lake shore. Five tussocks were in the lake and the old people said that they moved on certain days of the year but no one knew how. Offerings of coins and buttons were left and the water drunk. The lake ran low at least twice, once so low you could see the bottom. There were many eels within and some of them very large!

The 8th July is interesting and makes sense as it is the feast day of St Killian who was revered at Lough Mackeenlaun. Maybe he put in here on his way to the Continent, it’s not far from the sea.

Today it would be impossible to walk around the lake and the only stone I saw was this one, attractive with the newly blooming foxglove.

Blessed Well, Tobar Beannaithe, Trafrask

Continuing, I wanted to check out a bullaun stone cum holy well I had failed to find last time I’d been in the area. My GPS co-ordinates led me to the one I had already discovered but no matter, it was good to find it again, hidden in scrub land,

The basin is usually covered by the flat stone on the right and it is surrounded by three crosses, inscribed by pilgrims. The water is rusty red from the numerous coins left in it as offerings. Simply known as Tobar Beannaithe, wells like this often hold cures for warts.

On towards Castletownbere then a sharp right on the R271 towards Eyeries, to inspect another holy well which I wondered if it might be connected to the original quote.

St Finian’s Well, Foildarrig

This was one of the very first wells I visited about five years ago and thought we ought to be reacquainted as we were passing. We were impressed to see it was signed, albeit it looking a bit waterlogged.

There are two wells up here in the most spectacular setting on top of rugged heathland. It was a damp tramp across bog but the sight of a rag fluttering ahead was a hopeful and helpful signifier.

The wells are atop a small raised enclosure, the banks eroded but still visible. They are almost conjoined, their perimeters marked by hexagonal slabs, a large block of pristine white quartz in the centre.

The wells were restored in 2007 in memory of a lost life and are still visited, offerings tucked into various crannies.

The wells are dedicated to St Finian – could these be the one referred to in the opening quote? It’s 13km from here to Kilcatherine, very do-able by boat but rugged walking for the two pursuing saints. Castletownbere has long provided a safe harbour and is somewhere you might once have expected to see a lurking British Man O War. It is highly unlikely however that two wandering saints should be in the same vicinity during the same time period.

Once back at home, a little research revealed more interesting information and confirmed my suspicions, the name given in the entry below, Réid Fináin, is surely the same as Rhéid Fineáin:

… A mile from Castletown on top of a little hill there is a level tract of land which is called Réid Fináin. In this tract is a holy well. It is customary for people in this parish and in the parish of Eyeries to pay rounds at this well at May Eve and May Day. The well is dedicated to St Finian. Near it are two mounds and it is around these mound the round are performed. A round consists of walking slowly ten times around each mound, and saying each time one Our Father, One Hail Mary and one Gloria. Then a person takes a drink out of the well, blesses himself and rubs the water to the particular part of the body which is sick. Before departing a halfpenny or some little token is thrown into the well. The old people say the Réid Fináin round is good for headaches or any disease of the head.

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This sounded very similar – a dedication to St Finian, visited on May Eve, and could the two mounds somehow refer to two wells? The mention of ten rounds is unusual as I have not come across an even number of rounds before. A quick examination of the rushes and they do look a little on the blonde side!

The next stop was Eyeries to visit another well but before we left Foildarrig I reread the description:

There is a well in Eyeries. It is called Tobairín Beanniughthe. It is connected with Saint Finnian. Long ago people used to pay rounds there on May Day or on holidays if there would be anything wrong with them such as sore eyes or sore throat. When they would have a sore eye they would make the sign of the cross over it with the water of the well. if they would have a sore throat they would drink the holy water. When the rich people would go to it they would leave money there, and when the young people would go to it they would leave a piece of cotton there. Some of the people used to bring home little bottles of it. There is no water in it now.

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Hmmm, It’s starting to sound rather familiar! The description of people from the parish of Eyeries visiting also fits. I think this is another description of the same well!

We carried on to Eyeries regardless, officially the most colourful village in Ireland and it did not disappoint.

No sign of any other wells but we did make a quick visit to St Kentigern’s church to admire the stupendous stained glass windows by George Walsh.

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A quick word here about saints and their names. The church in Eyeries is dedicated not to St Finian but St Kentigern, a very Anglo-Saxon sounding name. It turns out he is patron saint of Glasgow, also known as St Mungo but has no connection to Ireland. Kentigern may be a corruption of Caitiarin or Chaitighern who gives his (or her name) to the parish – Kilcatherine, originally called Kilcatern or Kilcateerin and now anglised. To make matters even more confusing there is no Caitiarin in the hagiographies.

An Cailleach Bhearra

I had one more well on my list which was situated somewhere in Kilcatherine, possibly the churchyard. Before we reached the church we were seduced by the lure of an Cailleach Bhearra! The Hag of Beara, an enigmatic lump of stone, is perched on a lofty finger of land, her gaze permanently fixed on the sea.

The signage at the site explains a little about an Cailleach who was said to have resided in Kilcatherine and was considered one of the most powerful of all ancient Irish deities. Her ultimate demise is described in a story neatly depicting the coming of Christianity and the diminishing of the old gods:

One day, after gathering seafood along the shore of Whiddy Island in Bantry Bay, the Hag returned to find the saint asleep on a bare hillock. She approached him quietly, grabbed his prayer book and ran off. A cripple who lived nearby, saw what happened and shouted at Naomh Caitiarin who then woke up and saw the Hag run off. The saint ran after her, caught up with her, and recovered his prayer book. He then turned her into a grey pillar stone with her back to the hill and her face to the sea. There she remains to the present day.

Connie Murphy, from signage at site

The Hag is not actually a pillar stone but an odd pocked -marked rock, an erratic? It is interesting that the saint mentioned is not St Finian but the elusive St Caitiarin. Was he the ‘other’ saint wandering with St Finian in the Man O War story?

Kilcatherine Church

We hoped the next well might be situated inside the graveyard at Kilcatherine church where I had seen a photo of a monument described as a holy well. This entry in the School’s Folklore Collection also refers to a well in the parish but is vague as to the location:

There is one of those holy wells in Kilcatherine and the people of the district say there was once a girl who was very sick with those measals (sic), and was supposed to be uncurable. Her father was one day thinking of what he could do to save his daughter when suddenly he thought of a holy well not far from his house. He at once set out to obtain the water and when he returned his daughter was dying. He gave her some of the water and she was instantly cured.

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First we admired the splendour of the views. What a magnificent site this is – an enclosed graveyard and Medieval church, almost on the edge of the ocean. The remains of the 7th century church is notable for its thick walls, Romanesque window and a strange carved head protruding out from an elongated neck over the arched doorway. Variously described as St Caitiarian or more bizarrely as a cat goddess, it is plainly human but interesting.

The graveyard was rampant with wildflowers and contained a jumble of graves and an old and weathered cross.

The beehive shaped structure I had seen described as a holy well was I suspect a tomb!

The door was missing, the interior domed and damp with two low shelves lining the walls. There were no occupants and no sign of any well. The well at Kilcatherine remains elusive. If anyone has any further information about any of the wells visited to day I would love to hear it.

The location of the wells can be found in the Gazetteer.