Off the beaten track in Corca Dhuibhne

Jim Dempsey of the excellent Megalithic Ireland kindly alerted me to a well on the Dingle Peninsula which he had recently cleared a path to, and he advised that I visit soon before the undergrowth took over once again. That sounded like a good excuse to nip across to Kerry for a few days.

Well of the Cross, Tobar na Croise, Inch West

Situated high above the marvellous Inch Strand (but why do they let cars on it?) we parked in a tiny road, admired the view and got out the GPS. Jim had sent me clear directions, even a map, so we climbed over a gate, walked across the field on the look out for some white stones. There they were, intriguing in themselves.

Just beyond, a small gap in a fuchsia hedge could been seen. This looked promising and I understood why Jim and José had worked for at least a couple of hours carefully clearing a path.

The gap was very soggy, in fact it was clear a spring was emerging from somewhere and needed fording. The fuchsia was dense but glimpsed beyond was a cross slab – a remarkable one.

I’ll let the Archaeological Inventory describe it with the correct terminology:

The stone is .55m high and bears a Greek cross on its SSE face. The arms of the cross terminate with slightly bulbous depressions. A penannular circle surrounds the outer portion of each arm and with them forms a trifid motif.

Archaeological Inventory for County Kerry

It remains in very good condition presumably as it’s usually so well hidden. It’s one of 15 holy wells on Corca Dhuibhne, the Dingle Peninsula, that were originally attended by cross slabs.

The well seems to be a small rectangular basin at its base, marked by blocky stones. The water is copious and clear, today strewn attractively with fuchsia.

The pattern day was originally St John’s Day when pilgrims recited a rosary on their way, then made nine circuits of the well, saying a Pater and Ave at each circuit. The Turas na Duimhche, Pilgrimage of the Dunes, included a visit to Bun an Turais near the cliff 600m to the SE, and Com an Bhráthar, part of the sea-cliff about 350m to the south. I suspect accessing the cliff from the well would be very tricky today though the views are sublime. That’s Inch Strand out there.

A magical place, forgotten and secret but very powerful.

Sunday’s Well, Tobar Ri an Domhnaigh, Annascaul

Another well lay close by, sadly faring less happily. Photographs from the Dúchas Photographic Collection show a distinct rectangular pool, emerging from a gully in the hillside, the water clear and fresh.

The surrounding area was even then dense with foliage as a stream wended through the hillside. The small stone depicted was said to be marked with a cross.

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When I visited the stream could just about be seen, but the whole area had been used as a dumping ground for plastic and other rubbish, no chance of finding the cross slab. A sad and sobering sight.

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St Gobnait’s Well, Tobergobnet, Dún Chaoin

We stayed in Dún Chaoin, the evening being beautiful we wandered out along the cliffs to pay our respects to St Gobnait’s Well, already recorded. She was looking serene but the well was dry.

There were signs of the times enroute.

What a glorious vista from the well though. That’s An Fear Marbh, the Dead Man out there, better known as Inis Tuaisceart, one of the Blasket Islands, Na Blascaodaí, the most westerly point of Ireland. And the stark remains of the building are in fact a schoolhouse built in 1970 as part of the set for Ryan’s Daughter.

Many thanks to Jim and José for alerting me to this well, and for doing the hard work!

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