St Finán Cam: the Squinty One

On the lookout for St Gregory’s Well, Tobar i Choill, in Glenbeigh, a chance conversation in the excellent Emilie’s café alerted us to St Finán’s Well. St Gregory proved elusive, too overgrown, but St Finán’s Well turned out to be a much loved and distinguished well in an imposing situation, located about two kilometres out of the village with extensive views out to Rossbeigh.

The well is clearly and attractively signed, a dove perched on a rock as an extra signifier.

The path leads sharply downwards, the whole area tidy and bedecked with flowers, an eclectic collection of little figurines tucked here and there.

A grotto dedicated to the BVM is nicely constructed out of stone, a cross embellished with shells above it.

The approach to the well is signalled by another attractive sign.

The well is small, subterranean and enclosed in stone work, a niched shrine above it, all surmounted by a large neatly trimmed fir tree. Crosses have been etched on each side of the well.

The water is clear and fresh, containing many coins, the little niche above full of statues, candles and photographs.

St Fináns Well is not marked on the Archaeological Inventory for County Kerry nor on the historic maps, and there seems to be no reference to it in the Schools’ Folklore Collection yet is has always been alive in the community memory as the Kerry Sports Hub reports:

St. Finian’s Holy Well has been part of the local community in Glenbeigh for generations and was widely acknowledged for its spirituality and healing power. Our ancestors gathered around this well to honour the importance of the water which they depended on for their survival. However over the years the area around the well became overgrown and virtually inaccessible. I grew up in this area and was acutely aware of its importance and the role it played in the lives of people over many decades. I decided it was time to honour and show respect to our ancestors and revamp the area,” said Pat Donovan, the founder member of the St. Finian’s Well committee. With the invaluable assistance of a dedicated Rural Social Scheme under the direction of the South Kerry Development Partnership and local volunteers an extensive restoration programme commenced in 2013. ‘More than 80 tonnes of stone, gravel and other materials were brought to the site in wheelbarrows. Weeds, shrubbery, briars and other unsightly material were removed and replaced with paths, walls and a grotto. The entire area was also landscaped. Today this location, on the Kerry Way, is a tourist attraction and a place that people can come and remember their ancestors in a dignified and peaceful setting.’ Following the renovation an annual Easter Walk was held from the Red Fox Inn to the Holy Well with over €60,000 raised for locally based charities and community projects.

KerrySportsHub 22.12.2019

Further restorations were carried out in 2019 by the Rural Social Scheme, work including:

• Planting of shrubs & Hedging
• Development of a stone Wall
• Painting of Hand railing & Furniture
• Graveling of Pathways
• Extension of Car Park
• General maintenance of Holy Well (Tus case studies)

It is certainly very well maintained and the annual Easter fund raising event is very popular.

I have encountered St Finán many times on this journey and thought it might be interesting to try and unravel who he was. It’s complicated!

There are at least 11 saints named St Finán – spelled in a myriad of way: Fionnan, Finnian, Finian, Fhionáin – but the one I keep bumping into is, I think, St Finán Cam, the squinty one. Squinty can refer to his eyes though he has also been described as: Fear mór ard é go raibh dronn air – he is a big tall man with a hump. He is most often confused with St Finán Lobhar, the Leper, a Dubliner who is generally thought not to have travelled as far as Kerry but the two Fináns are frequently confused especially concerning their feast days – St Finán Cam’s is the 7th April but in South Kerry he seems to be commemorated on the 16th March, the feast of St Finán Lobhar. (St Finán of Lindisfarne and St Finan of Clonard also make an appearance).

St Finián Cam has at least six holy wells dedicated to him in Kerry. Two, possibly three, wells also have him as their patron across the border in County Cork. Here’s a quick review of what I’ve discovered so far.

It is generally agreed that St Finán was born in Corcaguiney and was a West Kerry man who is still widely commemorated throughout the county. The anonymous Life of St Finan describes how on:

The night of his conception his mother had a vision that a golden fish came on wings from the sunrise and fell into her mouth, and that thence she became with child. 

The Life of St Finán, celt.ucc.ie

Another version describes how she was swimming in a lake, possibly Innisfallen near Killarney, when the saint was conceived. St Finán was born into a wealthy family and The Life of St. Brendan describes how Finán’s father, Mac Airde, gave thirty cows to St Brendan shortly after the saint was born. St Brendan seems to have been responsible for St Finán’s tutorage and they may have been blood relatives. Many miracles were credited to the young Finán who had the gifts of healing and prophecy and was later known as one of the Three Candles of Muskerry (the other two being Lachteen and Senan). It was St Brendan who urged him to eventually go out and seek a suitable place for his own church. He would know the place for he would come across a herd of wild boar, very like St Gobnait who was told to seek the site of her resurrection, identified when she spotted nine white deer. Finán eventually saw the boar at Kinitty, County Offaly where he duly founded a church. Eventually he returned to his homeland where many references to him can still be found throughout Corca Dhuibhne and Iveragh, including holy wells. It’s interesting how many seem to be in sight of water, either sea or lakes.

St Fionán’s Well, Tobar Fionán, Kinard, Kerry

St Finán was probably the founder of the first ecclesiastical settlement on Great Skellig – Archangel Michael later taking the glory. They appeared to be friends as this story illustrates:

When St Michael and St Fionán were coming from the Skelligs there was a fog and they didn’t know where they were when they came to land at Charles Strand. They went to the mountain but a great thirst was coming over them and not a drop of water to be had. They prayed to God to provide water to them and a beautiful well with clear water sprang up for all of them now at the bottom of the hill there. Then said Fionán, Now that God has given us this gift, I will make a sanctuary, everything that is from the river to the sea, and from the mountain to the strand and each person who comes into this sanctuary, his enemy shall not get him and they will not get the plague. They gave thanks to God then. The Virgin Mary came from among them and she praised highly their blessings and devotion and didn’t a third well spring from the side of the hill where she stood and from then on there were three holy wells in Kinard.

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St Finán’s Well is now but abandoned, covered with a corrugated iron sheet.

The cross was erected in 1918 in: … thanksgiving for the many cured of the influenza epidemic by water from the wells. ( O Danachair) The rounds were paid here on the 17 February, confusingly the feast day of St Finán of Lindisfarne. The reference to plague and its cure for influenza is interesting for the next well has similar connections, is close to the sea and is also near a well dedicated to St Michael.

St Finans Well, Tobar Fhionáin, Ballinskelligs

This well is in a wonderful situation looking out into St Finan’s Bay, Baigh Fhíonnáin, also named after the saint.

There is an odd story in the Schools’ Folklore Collection describing how St Finán was soaked to the skin by a large wave as he came ashore by boat:

Nuair a bhí Naomh Fionán thiar sa Ghleann i gCill Imleach bhí sé ag dul isteach i mbád lá is tháinig tonn mhór – Ré Sac is dócha is do fhliuch san an Naomh go croiceann. Bhí sé ana mhór tré na chéile is dubhairt sé de phléisg “Tonn briste go bráth ionnat” is tá tonn briste i mBágh Fhíonáin riamh ó shoin is beidh go brádth.

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Very roughly translated as

When St Finán was west of the glen in Killemblagh he was getting into a boat and a big wave came. The Ré Sac* wet the saint to the skin. He was upset and said with a sigh there will be a wave there forever, and there has been a breaking wave in Finan’s Bay ever since.

Seán Mac an tSíthigh kindly ventured that Ré Sac* or réasac, could possibly come from the Iveragh dialect and be translated as a sudden rolling wave or three successive waves. These were much in evidence the day I visited.

St Finán’s Well, Tobar Fhionáin, gazes out seawards and has a strong reputation for healing, a bottle of its water often kept by the front door in the house. The previous well was resorted to during the Influenza epidemic of 1918 and this one has been much visited during the Covid epidemic for similar reasons.

The nearby church at Killemlagh, reputedly built on the site of an older church dedicated to St Finán, was visited as part of the rounds and noted for a particular herb that grew there:

… (St Finián) used a fern which grew on the ruined church there to treat this leprosy, and in this way the herb was given its healing power. The fern is called cos dubh (black foot) and has been identified as Asplenium Adiantum Nigrum which is also used to treat other skin diseases.

The Holy Wells of Ireland, Patrick Logan, 1980

In the Medieval period, leprosy could refer to a myriad of skin diseases and this herb was considered especially effective against scrofula. More confusion here as this hints at Finán the Leper, as does the feast day 16th March. Incidentally this was one of four wells visited during a once major pilgrimage at Michaelmas.

St Finan’s Well, Tobar Fhionáin, Valentia

On to Valentia island where there is a secretive well hidden in spindly woodland, also close to the sea.

St Finán’s Well, Tobar Fhionán, is a simple and abundant spring well with a large slabbed lintel. This was distinguished by a profusion of watercress when visited, also renowned for it healing qualities (remember the story of Mad Sweeney who live on well water and ate watercress). St Finán is said to have caused this well to spring up. It holds a cure for rheumatism and yes, the feast day, is 16th March.

St Finnian’s Well, Castletownbere

Over in County Cork and high above Castletownbere on the Beara peninsula is an unusual double well dedicated to St Finán.

The sea connection continues with this odd story :

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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St Finán displaying a less than saintly bout of temper here. This well holds a cure for headaches and was traditionally visited in May, usually a month associated with the BVM. The bit about sailing in Kenmare River may not be so far fetched for there is another well dedicated to him right on the river bank!

St Finian’s Well, Kenmare

This well is incorrectly described on the information posts as being dedicated to St Finán Lobhar, the leper, but it seems more likely that Finán Cam is the patron. It’s a tidal well, inundated twice a day but retains its fresh water and holds a cure for sore eyes.

Oddly the feast days are 3rd May (St Philip & St James) and 14th September (Holy Cross).

St Finán’s Well, Tobar Fhionáin, Waterville

On returning from Kinnity, St Finán established a small ecclesiastical settlement in the middle of Lough Currane, also known as Lough Luíoch. It’s a tiny island but holds a wealth of treasures including a stone built clochán still known as Finán’s House, beautifully depicted by George Victor du Noyer in 1858.

St Finán is also said to be buried here – a leacht and the stump of a cross slab marking his grave.

The associated holy well, Tobar Fhionáin, is on the mainland but has wonderful views out towards the lough.

The water holds a cure for sore eyes and has a resident blessed trout. The feast day – yes, the 16th March .

Two final wells with a dedication to St Finán can be found in County Cork but whether it’s St Finán Cam is unclear.

Kilpatrick Holy Well

The blessed well at Kilpatrick, Minane Bridge, West Cork is sometimes referred to as having St Finán as its patron (St Patrick also crops up) and has an extraordinary story associated with it – another example of St Finán’s occasional bursts of temper.

There is a holy well in Tracton about 4 miles from Carrigaline in the townland of Granig. This well has no name because many people give it different names. Some call it St. Patrick’s and some call it St. Finian’s. St Finian had a sister and one day she did some harm and he cursed her and said “that the wild wolves may eat you”. Soon he missed her and went to Ahane Cross road and found the wolves eating her. He said a few words and the wolves were turned into stones. One wolf cub stone is still to be seen in Tracton bogs and the rest near Ahane Cross. This saint got his sister’s bones and washed them in the well and she came back to life…

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The well is now abandoned and forgotten and I could find no trace of the wolves turned to stone.

St Finnian’s Well, Flugh Feigh Well, Nohaval Upper

And at Nohaval Upper in North Cork St Finnian’s Well, also known as Flugh Feigh Well, could be in a fulact fiadh, a Bronze Age monument possibly used for cooking meat. The feast day for this well is centred around the 13th December, close enough to be associated with Finán of Clonard (12th December).

So that’s clear then!

St Finán Cam, a man for whom water had much significance. He was conceived in a lake and was buried on an island in a lake and many holy wells dedicated to him are within sight of the sea or water. A man with some sort of physical deformity, a squinty eye or a hump back, who had the gifts of healing, particularly concerning epidemics, and of prophecy. Someone who was also prone to occasional outbursts of temper yet who continues to be much revered in Corcaguiney. And a saint who seems to be revered on an astonishing variety of dates.

Edit: April 2024, we attended the annual Easter Monday Pilgrimage at St Finnian’s Well, a most enjoyable community event. The full write up can be read here.

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

Many thanks to Peter Clarke for his photos, and to Seán Mac an tSíthigh for his thoughts on the meaning of Rí Sac.