St Gobnait & the Iron Man

St Gobnait has been extensively covered in previous blogs but there were a few loose ends to tie and there is always something new to discover about this fascinating local saint. A bit of cross county exploration led to a few disappointments but also some delights.

Holy Well, Kilgobnet, near Dripsey

I was alerted to a possible holy well in the encouraging named townland Kilgobnet near Dripsey in North Cork. I was advised that it was deep in a small glen and co-ordinates were forwarded. As we happened to be passing through Dripsey we decided to see if anything remained. The GPS led to a very scenic spot down by the river and Dripsey Bridge.

The banks were very overgrown and there was no sign of a well though a neatly strimmed path led to a water pump complete with solar panels. Was the original site of the well now being used for a different purpose? If any one has information on this well I would love to hear it.

St Gobnait’s stones

Whilst in the vicinity we carried on to Knockanengark where there was once a stone bearing St Gobnait’s footprints as described by the Archaeological Inventory:

In overgrown area on W side of road. Rock (1.39m x 0.38m) with what appear to be shallow natural depressions on upper surface. According to local tradition, depressions are marks left by St. Abbey, on her way to Ballyvourney.

Archaeological Inventory for County Cork

The road was small, the hedgerows dense and sadly there was no sign of any stone.

Another stone near Abby’s Well, Kilshannig, Mallow has also vanished, broken up when a new road was made from Kanturk to Cork according to Colonel Grove White. He collected an interesting story attached to it: known as the Thief’s Flag it was said to bear the imprint of a man’s bare foot and the hoof prints of a cow and a her calf. The man was stealing the animals when along came St Gobnait (or St Abby as she’s called in this story) and tied the thief to he stone until the owner was alerted! (Grove White, Vol 3, p331)

St Gobnait’s Church & Well, Kilgobnet, Kerry

Recently I also passed through another Kilgobnet, this time in Kerry, and decided to check if there was anything remaining of the well or the church dedicated to St Gobnait. A local group of houses were named Na Fianna Bán, the white deer, which was encouraging but I failed to see either the church or the well. Inquiring at a house I was taken into a field where the very meagre and unloved remains of St Gobnait’s church just about exist, a few stones poking amongst the undergrowth.

St Gobnait’s Well & Church, Kilgobnet, Waterford

And yet another well and church and another townland named after the saint – this time near Dungarvan, County Waterford, the extent of her peregrination. I asked two friends who were cycling the Waterford Greenway to see if anything remained here. They very kindly took some photos and reported back that the original site of the well in the nearby field was inaccessible, though it has clearly been left undisturbed in the field.

Water was being piped into the nearby churchyard, presumably from the well, though there were no notices to confirm this.

St Gobnait’s Well, Tobergobnet, near Cahersiveen

Finally a positive sighting. I was pretty certain something remained of this well but not sure how much. It lies a few miles outside Cahersiveen in attractive hilly countryside. On our first visit the mizzle had descended and visibility was very poor. We admired the evocative remains of Killinane Church, also known as Srugreana, oddly not dedicated to St Gobnait but to a St Lonan or Lonáin.

We also admired the faded old house nearby, complete with young pigs enjoying their freedom in the garden.

A search for the well on the adjacent hillside brought no luck and we headed home. Returning the next day, conditions were better. I inquired at a nearby house and although the woman had heard of the well she had no idea where it was. She did know about the old house though and described it as having once belonged to the Iron Man. On returning to the old house we were delighted to find two women and their children feeding the resident pigs. We got chatting of course and she explained she had recently inherited the house, referring again to the Iron Man. She knew nothing about the well but did say that she had seen two men working up on the hill recently and wondered if it was to do with that. With her permission, we clambered over the gate onto the hillside, following the GPS. And there was the well sporting some new signage.

A simple slab lies over the well which is cut into the hillside.

Two other slabs to the right bear crosses inscribed by pilgrims.

The water collects in an rectangular basin and is abundant and fresh, flowing off down the hillside.

We admired the wonderful views then returned to tell Eileen that her well was flourishing.

I have not been able to find our very much about this well but it once attracted a three day pattern held around the 3rd March. Pilgrims included a visit to the church in the rounds. The date is unusual as St Gobnait’s feast day is 11th February.

Whilst researching I became severely distracted. Idle wonderings if there might be anything online about the Iron Man led me to a rich trove of information about the astonishing Mick Murphy (1934-2015) – Iron Man of extraordinary talents and charisma who truly lived a full and complicated life. An interesting article and video give a flavour of this remarkable man.

A Peregrination: the Wanderings of St Gobnait

A Peregrination Part 2: meet the family

A Peregrination Part 3: the home run

St Gobnait : she’s a fine woman

A map showing her peregrination

Thanks to Anne-Marie Roche for alerting me to a possible well near Dripsey.

Thanks to Colin Humphreys for the photos of St Gobnait’s Well, Waterford.

Thanks to Eileen (apologies if I have your name wrong) who told us a little about the Iron Man.