In Plain Sight: Two Wells in An Daingean

Not all holy wells are in remote and scenic spots, some are hidden in plain sight in towns and can take as much finding as their rural cousins.

St John’s Well, Tobar Eoin, Dingle town

I had looked for this well many times before. I knew the well itself was no longer visible and that any remains were now in a private garden and inaccessible. The cross slab that once stood over it however was meant to be viewable. We wandered up and down the Mall in An Daingean, Dingle town, no sign of anything. I was ready to give up when a shout went up from Himself – he’d found it . Brownie points for him! There, cemented onto an inconspicuous side wall, complete with a rather fancy stone surround, was the cross slab/pillar stone.

It’s small, with a plain Latin cross inscribed upon it. Underneath this are the initials FD. Caoimhín Ó Danachair in his Holy Wells of Corcaguiney, 1960, considered it might originally have also had an Ogham inscription though there is no evidence of this.

Photographs from the Dúchas Photographic Collection give intriguing glimpses of the original well and the positioning of the cross slab.

A heavy lintel lies on top of chunky stone walls. The spring emerges from underground and gathers in a semi-circular basin then flows off in a channel. The pillar stone is placed in the wall, the inscriptions picked out in white paint.

The feast day was 24th June, St John’s Day. Five Paters and five Aves were recited whilst kneeling at the well, then a rosary was recited whilst making three circuits of the well. The round was completed with a prayer to the patron, St John. This was repeated nine times, pebbles being used to count each round. Rags were then hung on a bush which has since gone. The water contained a general cure and would never boil. A blessed trout resided within, good luck to those who saw him. The fortunes of the well have suffered but the little cross slab remains – hiding in plain sight.

Tobar Nano, Nano’s Well

I’m not sure how officially holy the next well is but it’s in the grounds of a convent and it’s dedicated to Nano Nagle so I’d say its credentials are good. Moving on to Green Street and the former Convent of the Presentation Sisters, the rain had started to fall in a uniquely soft but very wet Irish manner. We had been in the convent, now used as an art centre, many times before, mainly to admire the Harry Clarke stained glass windows.

Only recently had I heard that it contained a well. We explored the gardens, another revelation – they are absolutely beautiful, full of wild flower meadows, willow arches and other delights. They have been designed as sensory gardens with the emphasis on biodiversity and were opened in 2020.

The well lay tucked against a wall, circular and stone built. It is covered but a circular glass window is intended to give views within but the ferns have now encroached so nothing is visible.

A ciruclar stoup/bullaun/water font is incorporated into the wall, adorned with Celtic spirals. Is the stoup older than the designs?

Not much seems to be known about this well and it was only fairly recently rediscovered. The excellent blog Ireland’s Holy Wells tells the story:

The holy well in Díseart grounds was neglected for a long period of time and pretty much forgotten about. Some sources indicate that it was dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary (which would make sense with a church of the same dedication and residing in a Presentation Sisters Convent grounds), while others suggest a dedication to Saint Peter, which would certainly be unusual in Ireland. Whatever the case, the true dedication of the holy well was forgotten. It was a very deep well and today, little or nothing of its original structure survives. In fact, it as only very recently rediscovered. In 2009 a celebration of Nano Nagle’s life took place at Díseart, and the well was fully restored. After a mass in the chapel, and during a reception in the gardens, Monsignor Pádriag Ó Fiannachta blessed the newly restored well and dedicated it to Nano. The restoration has been done well, but access to the water is impossible.

Holy Well: Ireland’s Holy Wells blogspot

Nano Nagle (1718-1784) was born in Cork to a wealthy family and was educated abroad. On returning to Ireland she founded her own order The Institute of Charitable Instruction of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, later known as the Presentation Sisters. She and three followers promised poverty, chastity and obedience to God until death, but they did not take enclosure and continued to teach and care for the poverty stricken where they lived. She founded seven schools in Cork City and gave the Ursuline Sisters land to build a convent, now Nano Nagle Place which contains a museum as well as continuing to promote her work.

Whilst examining the well, we heard music and followed the lilting tune through the gardens to a small amphitheatre where two young women, protected from the rain in a thatched gazebo, were playing a lively set of traditional Irish music. A damp but very appreciative audience, which we joined, were enraptured. What an unexpected pleasure.

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