Patrick’s Well: trees, trout & a strange mound

In search for a well for St Patrick’s Day where better to start than a townland encouragingly called Patrickswell. This one is in County Limerick which has nineteen wells dedicated to the patron saint – quite a contrast to County Cork which has only two and I have yet to come across any dedicated to him in Count Kerry.

St Patrick’s Well, Patrickswell

Tucked under Knockderk (Hill of the Horns) this was once an extensive and much visited site comprising a holy well, sacred trees and penitential station as shown in this photo from the National Folklore Photographic Collection, date unknown but I’m guessing late 1950s/early 1960s.

The stone wellhouse is sturdily built, probably erected sometime around 1870 by the local landlord, Count de Salis, whose family inherited nearby Lough Gur in the early eighteenth century, as described in an entry in the Main Manuscript of the National Folklore Collection:

Count Salis carried out some repairs to the wells about fifty or sixty years ago and in 1917 there was a collection in the parish and the local mason was got to cement the walls inside.

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The large ash tree in front of the well. known as St Patrick’s Tree, was one of three trees (two ash and one oak) said to have been planted in the shape of a shamrock. The trees had their own mystique and potency:

It is said that the trees near Patricks-well were never planted by man; and the remarkable thing about the trees is that (they) grew in the shape of a shamrock. One day a woman living in the neighbourhood went to the well for a barrel of water. She forgot to take a cover for the barrel with her and on her way home the water began to spill or leak out of the vessel. She left down the vessel on the ground and went back to the well near which she saw a large tree growing. She broke a branch off the tree and placed it over the vessel. Ever afterwards misfortune and worry came into this woman’s life.

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This image includes more trees and shows the very rural surroundings of the well.

Today the trees have gone and all that remains of the large ash is a fungus covered stump.

But the wellhouse remains, freshly whitewashed and newly adorned with a large statue of the patron saint.

We were lucky enough to meet Jim who described how the community had tidied up the whole site in 2021. He explained how it was always felt that a statue would embellish the wellhouse and after searching high and low, something suitable was eventually found in nearby Knocklong.

An original plaque remains above the entrance, shown here in its original state. The letters IHS, a monogram for the word Jesus, are clearly visible, the angels on each side a little more difficult to make out.

The interior of the wellhouse has also been recently whitewashed and the little shrine given a lick pf paint. It looked especially attractive on our visit. The statue of the saint (sourced in Lourdes five years ago) was sparkling, the triangular shape of the shrine picked out in green. Green glass vases were full of fresh flowers and a lacy cloth embroidered with shamrocks finished off the scene.

The well is a curious shape approached down a couple of steps, some of the stonework left unrendered. The water is fresh and plentiful and holds several useful cures:

The water of this well is often taken to people who are too sick to travel to the well; and they drink the water. The water is supposed to cure people suffering from head-aches, sore eyes and stomach pains.

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A Mrs Hogan, who had been given up by two doctors, was said to have practically lived off the well water for another ten years! (SFC:419:0516). Maybe she saw the blessed trout, only apparent to those about to be cured.

The well is divided into three parts.The first part of the well, where the water rises up out the ground is partly covered with stone flags and the water of which cannot be boiled because a local inhabitant cut down some of St. Patrick’s Tree (which grew over the well) for firewood. It is said that a curse befell the local tree cutter and himself suffered mental agony afterwards and his family and cousins died without issue.

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The well still consists of three parts: the main well in the wellhouse and two other basins nearby. Another photograph from the 1950s/60s shows the front of the wellhouse revealing chunky rather dilapidated stonework leading to the other water sources.

This photo shows how one of the wells was directly at the base of the old ash tree, large and stone lined.

Today things look very different. The area around the wellhouse has also been landscaped with neat planting, gravel paths and stone built channels for the water.

But the two other basins remain, separated by a small stone bridge, the water in each copious and clear.

The well is dedicated to St Patrick and it is believed he stopped here on his way from Cashel to Donoughmore:

The local inhabitants say that St. Patrick slept a night under a tree near this well. The tree can still be seen near the well. It is very tall and thick.

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The entry from the Main Manuscript has a slightly different version of the sleeping arrangements:

St Patrick is supposed to have stopped here for three nights on his way from Cashel to Donoughmore … and it has been stated that he slept at the mound and the print of his back is shown on the trunk of the tree growing on the mound.

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The mound remains a few metres up the road from the well. It still has a tree on top of it but this specimen looks too skinny to have given any support to a tired back. In fact the whole mound has a forlorn air.

Nonetheless Jim said it was still included in the rounds as it had always been. The rounds are extensive. Traditionally:

Nine rounds round the three trees from west to east and five rounds at the mound. Stones are used to count the rounds. Seven Our Fathers, seven Hail Marys while going round the trees and five Our Fathers and five Hail Marys said at the mound.

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Rounds begin on the 1st March and continue until St Patrick’s Day, 17th March, which explains why the well was looking so attractive when we visited, 8th March. This will be the first time since 2019 that a pilgrimage has been possible on the saint’s day due to Covid restrictions.

Nearby are two other places well worth visiting. Thanks to the information board at Patrickswell we found St Patrick’s Church with its magnificent stained glass windows created by the Harry Clarke studio. A vibrant sight on a grey day.

We carried on to the magnificent Grange Stone circle which was bitterly cold on this particular day, but it did mean we had to to ourselves. We also has a very brisk walk around some of Lough Gur.

Many thanks to Jim for his extra information about St Patrick’s Well.

The location of the well can be found in the Gazetteer.