Recently my friend Pól sent me some interesting information about a well near Bonane in South Kerry and wondered if I had visited it yet:
Tobar na Lochlannach. Tá an tobar sin suidhte ar an dtaobh thiar den pharóisde ar bharr an chnuic, Nuair bhí na Lochlannaigh ag déanamh beorach as an bhfraoich gheibhidís uisge ón dtobar san mar deirtear ná raibh aon uisge eile oireamhnach chun é do dhéanamh san gceanntar seo. Deirtear go raibh rún ag na Lochlannaigh ar cionnus an b[h]eoir do dhéanamh agus deirtear nár deineadh riamh ó shoin í agus dá n-ólthá an t-uisge do bheithfeá seacht mbliana níos óige.
[Nótaí:] Tá an tobar so láimh le scoil
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He kindly translated it for me too:
The Well of the Vikings. This well is situated on the west side of the parish on the top of the hill. When the Vikings were making beer from the heather they used to get the water from this well for they said there was no other water suitable for the purpose in this district. It is said that the Vikings had the secret for the making of that beer and it is said it hasn’t been made since and that if you drink the water you will be seven years younger.
Note: This well is beside the school, Gort na Binne, townland of Cnoc Dubh, parish of Bunán
Another entry in the Schools’ Folklore Collection provided a further strange story about the Danes and their wine making exploits:
Long ago the Danes were able to make beautiful wine from heather. This can easily be believed because bees make honey from heather and it also helps make very sweet butter. No one ever knew this secret, only the Danes. The Irish tried their best to get the secret from them while they were in Ireland but they failed. At last there was only one old Dane in Ireland who knew the secret and he told it to his son. An Irish chieftain wanted to force the secret out of them, by flattery, promises, threats etc but the Danes would not give the secret. They were in prison when one day the old Dane said to the c [chieftain?] ‘If I told you the secret I would be ashamed of my son for ever, and of everyone who came after me. But you kill my son and then I will tell you the secret because I will have nobody to be ashamed of.’ The foolish chieftain did as he was told. ‘Now said the old Dane you can kill me if you like. The secret is safe. I am old and have my life spent and have nothing more to look forward to, I don’t mind if you kill me. But my son was young with life and hope before him, and he could be coaxed to sell that secret in time.’ So the secret of making wine from heather died with the old Dane.
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Another version of the same story from Tipperary, with whiskey this time:
The Heather Whiskey. The Danes were the only people who had the secret of making whiskey from the heather. When the Irish had beaten the Danes only two Danes, a father and son were left. They were offered their lives and money if they would show how the whiskey could be made from the heather. The father offered to give the secret if he got the son’s share. The Irish promised him the son’s share. ‘Very well’, says the father, ‘kill him’, The son was killed. ‘Now’, says the father, ‘you can do the same to me. I was afraid he would not hold out.’
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A bit of research and it seems the story is well known, also found in Scotland too where the secretive brewers were Picts. Robert Louis Stevenson even wrote a poem about the famous Heather Ale, here’s an extract :
Heather Ale: a Galloway Legend
From the bonny bells of heather
Robert Louis Stevenson
They brewed a drink long-syne,
Was sweeter far then honey,
Was stronger far than wine.
They brewed it and they drank it,
And lay in a blessed swound
For days and days together
In their dwellings underground.
Should you wish to know more this is an interesting read.
A brew worth dying for and the secret of making it taken to the grave! I had high hopes for this well plus the potential of looking seven years younger.
The only clue as to where it was was in the last sentence: This well is beside the school, Gort na Binne. Enda Ó Flaherty visited Gortnabinny National School when recording the state of schools in his blog (and later book) Disused School Houses. He found it derelict and forlorn and he made no mention of a well.
We set out to explore, two others wells in South Kerry also on the agenda. Gortnabinny is a remote and scenic townland, now seeming sparsely populated. The first shock was that the National School has been restored – rather well.
The current owner had no knowledge of a well and although we searched high and low around the site and on the roadside, we found no sign of a well. The secret of Viking heather ale remains secure.
Holy Well & bullaun stone, Bonane
Back towards Bonane and another elusive well was on the list. I had tried to find this twice before but each time was thwarted. It lies on a clearly signed heritage trail but I don’t think anyone had been through the gate for a while.
That was the last clue! From then on it was an was ankle breaking but incredibly scenic stumble through scrubland and mountain where every rock looked significant, usually adorned with a holly or hawthorn tree.
We wandered hither and thither getting more and more frustrated until suddenly I came across the rock.
What an impressive earthfast chunk. And there, sort of in the centre, was a bullaun stone complete with its flattish, speckled, turning stone.
Tradition suggests that turning these stones could have two possible outcomes – turn clockwise for good luck, turn anti-clockwise for mischief making. I was very careful how I handled the stone when gently removing it for a photograph.
Inspite of my careful handling of the speckled stone, the good people, perhaps in exchange for granting us access, at some point removed my red beret from my pocket – was this the moment?
The bullaun is categorised as a holy well in its own right, the water within having a cure for warts. This felt an ancient and remote spot, isolated and seldom visited, its mysteries intact.
This area around Bonane is rich in archaeological remains and this site is fairly close to the extraordinary Rolls of Butter with its multiple bullauns, each still retaining a stone.
Whilst in the area we also visited another even more remote site – already recorded but worth another visit.
Mass rock & holy well, Inse an tSAgairt, Innisfoyle
Inse an tSagairt is quite a hike to get to it, walking through new forestry, crossing over the river with the looming presence of the mountain shading out the sun.
The end destination is a massive rocky outcrop hanging over a large flat stone. Yes, another bullaun. The rock itself is a Mass rock and pilgrims have inscribed many crosses on it. The large bullaun scooped out of it also holds miraculous cures.
There is a grim and ironic story associated with it relating to the beheading of a priest. During Penal TImes, priests had bounties on their heads. The murderers caught the priest here at the Mass rock, collected the head and took it to wherever they excepted to claim their reward only to learn that Catholics had been finally granted emancipation. The head was worthless. I prefer the version in which he escapes into the river and floats down to safety clinging onto the shoulders of the bloodhounds sent to catch him. (SFC:310:0461) The priest is still remembered by a plaque, a candle placed under it.
The location of these wells can be found in the Gazetteer.
Such an interesting post. Thank you. There is a story in Clare of a man who murdered another man because he had turned the stones against him. I think it’s Kilnaboy church. But turning the stones was serious business in the past.
Thank you Janet, yes, always treat such stones with the utmost respect!
What fascinating stories, Amanda! I really feel we should make a serious detailed search for the Well of the Vikings at some point…. Although I know you have already had a go!
It was very frustrating not to find the well, and with the chance of looking 7 years younger!
Another very interesting blog. Perhaps you could send some of the water here for me to look 7 years younger.
Those stones are so perfectly round. I find it all so fascinating.
.I have heard the Robert Louis Stevenson heather ale.
Great to read the other folklore
Thanks Nadine – I had not heard about the Viking ale before and was amazed to find it was so well known, and in Scotland. Have you ever come across any? I shall keep a look out for wells that help sore shoulders too.