En route to Ardpatrick

En route to Ardpatrick, a sign caught our eye somewhere near Kilfinnane- holy wells. Having never knowingly driven past one let alone more than one, we decided to investigate. A gap in a hedge and faded signage looked hopeful.

It was quite a steep clamber down the other side, the steps literally cut into the banks with a skinny stile to negotiate at the bottom. But what a vista opened up before us, large undulating fields full of lumps and bumps and the sun catching the hills beyond.

Sunday’s Well, Tobairín Domhnaigh

It seems there are two holy wells in this area, the first referred to as Sunday’s Well, Tobairín Domhnaigh. It is unlike any well I’ve seen before: a huge stone lintel supported on equally large blocks with the structure going back into the hillside. It looked ancient.

It is described as a souterrain: an underground chamber usually dating from the 10th/11th centuries. This might explain the odd humps and bumps in the field which were described in the signage as the remains of an early Christian ecclesiastical settlement.

Water had collected in the entrance and this gave it its well status, though it is no longer revered. At some point, the well moved lower down the field, apparently offended when a woman washed her baby in it. It re-emerged as Lady’s Well.

Lady’s Well

This was instantly distinguished by a circlet of whitethorns in an otherwise almost treeless field. The whitethorns were wayward and flamboyant, a simple metal construction attempting to offer some control near the entrance to the site.

Inside was damp and bosky, the water flowing in all directions, seeping into the undergrowth. There were signs that the well was still revered – prayer cards, rosaries and statues.

The whitethorns were adorned with rags and rosaries.

The well is dedicated to the BVM and is traditionally visited on the 15th August. It holds a cure for sore eyes as confirmed by this entry in the Schools’ Folklore Collection:

Lady’s well is situated about a mile to the south of Kilfinnane in a field called Lady’s well field. The people of this district say that the well removed when a woman washed her baby in it. The remains of the old well are still to be seen. People visit it on Sunday and it is sometimes called Sunday’s well. They also visit it on the fifteenth of August. Many people have been cured there, sore eyes especially. One Sunday a woman by the name of Mrs. Roche visited it. she had very sore eyes but after praying and doing nine rounds she was cured. Any person who got cured always left a cup after them in honour of Our Lady or tied a ribbon to a tree. The well is surrounded by old trees.

SFC:195:0510

After this pleasant distraction, we continued to Ardpatrick in search of a well dedicated to the patron saint.

St Patrick’s Holy Well, Ardpatrick

I had always wanted to visit Ardpatrick having discovered that this is where St Patrick was on his way to when he visited Bachall Íosa well in Farthingville, not far across the border in County Cork. The name Ardpatrick , meaning the height of Patrick, evoked interesting images, I imagined it a bit like the Hill of Slane where Patrick lit the Paschal fire. We were flagging a bit by the time we reached the site and the sun was slowly descending. It looked a long way up! A new concrete path, functional rather than a thing of beauty, seems to have been recently constructed presumably to make funerals slightly less challenging – the graveyard on the summit is still in use. This photo was taken whilst taking a breather half way up and admiring the stunning landscape,

Once known as Tulach na Féinne, the Hill of the Fianna, the earthworks surrounding the summit are said to predate the early monastic site which was founded by St Patrick. Nothing remains of this but there are the ruins of an early church, the stump of a round tower and a graveyard – an evocative sight as we neared the top.

Dating from the 11th century, this once imposing Round Tower once loomed 24 metres heavenwards but was already deteriorating by the mid-17th century. It was probably struck by lightening around 1824.

The light was wonderful as we wandered around the enclosure.

But where was the well? The information panel confirmed that it was somewhere outside the walled enclosure but was now filled in. We wandered around the outside of the walls and this large area defined by raised earthen banks looked promising.

The well was said to have been nearly 12m deep, the water itself about 4m from the surface. It was faced with stone and had steps leading into it. The water held a cure for lameness, rickets and rheumatism. Cattle were also said to benefit from it.

The water also contained an unsettling prophesy :

The water lay about 15ft from surface, people said that if on looking down you did not see your reflection in the water you would die before the current year ran out.

SFC:429:0509

The well was also known as the The Well of Omen and a long poem of the same name puts its gift more poetically:

There is a well sunk deeply by old Ard-Patrick’s wall ;

Within it gaze the peasants to see what may befall :

Who see their shadows down below, they will have merry cheer,

Who see not any shadows shall die within the year.

From The Well of Omen,by Dr Robert Dwyer Joyce, Ballads of Irish Chivalry, 1908

The poem continues describing the sad tale of two lovers who unfortunately looked in the well and saw nothing; both were dead within the year. This extract from the Schools’ Folklore Collection also refers to the sorry tale, the well now known as the Robbers Well:

Near Ardpatrick, which is about a mile from Kilfinane, Co. Limerick, is situated an old well which is called the Robbers Well. If you looked into this well, and you didn’t see your reflection, you were supposed to die within the year. But if you did see your reflection you were to have great joy.One Sunday morning when the people were coming home from mass, a young couple went across the field where the Robbers Well was. They were laughing gaily as they peeped down over the edge of the well to see if they could see their reflections below in the clear water. But sad to say no fresh young faces looked up from below. They left the well with heavy hearts, but they soon forgot all about it, and some months later they were married. One morning the maid went up to call the boy and girl and getting no response she went into the room. A queer sight met her eyes, the bed-clothes were flung around the room, and on the bed lay the bodies of the once happy couple, killed by the Robbers Well.

SFC:389:0528

They are said to be buried near the well. When the poem was written in 1908, the well was already in a state of disrepair, full of rubbish and the bottom no longer visible. It was eventually filled in for public safety, just a few stones peeping out from the grass.

A pilgrimage is still made to the hill on the 17th of March and the 15th of August.

Our travelling companions version can be read here.

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