St Munchin the Wise and St James the Greater: two saintly encounters in Limerick

It’s impossible not to be intrigued by a saint called St Munchin or Mainchín mac Setnaí to give him his full name. Sometimes known as Munchin the Wise or Little Monk, folklore surrounding his dates and origins are confusing but he is patron saint of Limerick City which some stories credit him with founding. Like many saints, he had a quick temper and was fond of a bit of cursing. Whilst supervising the building of a church, originally sited near the old bridge in Thomond in Limerick city the workmen came across a very large stone. Munchin called on passing citizens to help but they all refused and continued on their way. Some passing strangers, however, stopped and gladly gave assistance. St Munchin blessed the strangers and said they should always be prosperous, then proceeded to curse the natives! There is a very long poem about this event written in 1868 by Michael Hogan. According to his interpretation the curse was very elaborate – here’s a (short) taster:

May he always want sometime to wear

and always want something to buy it;

and always have nothing to share

and always have ways to supply it;

And may every pound of y’re bread

have the flavour of sawdust and clinkers

While, ye gang, like poor gypsies , to bed

and get up in the morning like tinkers,

with fleas dancing around ye, like goats.

In this version the passing strangers are revealed to be Danes and the poem continues with the Danes eventually returning and destroying St Munchin’s church:

The Danes came from Denmark one day

and they tumbled his church into ruins

And Brian Boru leathered their race

for molesting such fine, pious people…

Ibid

St Munchin is also patron saint of Bruree and had another unfortunate experience here. Thirsty, he requested water from the locals and they refused. In fury he struck his staff into the ground and up sprang a holy well, now dedicated to the saint. It is in a highly scenic position on the banks of the River Maigue. It is approached from the road down a flight of steps and is surrounded by a circular wall. A cross lies above the site and a plaque on a large stone proclaims St Munchin’s Well, 3rd January 2012, the date of its renovation.

The well itself is subterranean, enclosed in a circular stone wellhouse. Peering in, a rather dismal sight appears – a grill lies over the well which has then been covered by large stones. A dangling chain brings nothing up so access to the water is impossible, though it still looks plentiful. It once held a cure for stomach ailments and sore eyes.

It seems to have moved once or twice but was originally much visited and revered :

Once the Well was badly used and is said to have removed up to Cahill’s field but it was supposed to have come back again. The Well is surrounded by massive rocks on one of which are irregular lines said to be Ogham writing. Formerly a tree grew out of one of the rocks. A party of Americans came to see this wonder. The feast of St. Munchin falls on January 2nd. Some years ago Mass used be celebrated and a sermon preached and it was kept as a parish holiday. The rounds paid were nine rounds each day for nine days and a Rosary recited each time.

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This image, from the Limerick Diocesan Heritage project, shows how the well looked in 2000, the massive rocks described in the above extract still in place. The Irish Tourist Survey for Limerick, 1943, adds a little more information and describes how two smooth impressions in these stones were said to mark the spot where the saint had knelt in prayer. I think the stones may still be there, one jumble covered in flowers and maybe the stone that holds the plaque is also from the original cluster. I wish I had paid more attention for I think the saintly footprints might still be there to the bottom left of the plaque.

The feast day is 2nd January and nine rounds of the well were once customary, if possible visiting the well for nine consecutive days.

This attractive stained glass panel by Catherine O Brien shows St Munchin being blessed by St Patrick, and can be seen in the Honan Chapel, University College Cork.

It has a rather forlorn air today, in spite of its restoration and imposing setting.

St James Well, Tiobrait Well, Tervoe

Although neglected this little well in Tervoe, to the west of Limerick city, has a very different atmosphere to St Munchin’s Well. There are no definite signs from the roadside that anything interesting lies ahead, though I took the bollard as a clue.

Slipping down the bank, a different world is revealed, rich in greens, with a strange peace, event though a team of roofers were hard at work only a few metres away. The floor is carpeted in ivy and ferns, bespeckled with celandine and daffodils; large alder trees, their broad trunks mossy and damp, encircle the well, only just discernible through all the rampant vegetation.

The well is subterranean, a low circular stone wall surrounding it, put up by Lord Emly who originally owned the land. The water within is plentiful, clear, cold and percolating. It is considered efficacious for curing sore eyes and headaches and also believed to contain a fish, good luck to those who see it.

This extract from the Schools Folklore Collection contains some interesting information:

St James’s Well is rather big. There are many trees growing over and about it – an elder tree overgrown with ivy is overhanging the well and whitethorn grows round it. On the trees there are pieces of cloth hanging. They leave those pieces of cloth on the tree when cured in honour of St James. People do not use this water for household purposes because it is said that some misfortune would happen to you. Long ago people went to that well to be cured. They also go up to the present day but not so regularly as in olden times. People visit it during the month of July. Some bathe their eyes in the water and others rub some of the leaves that are around the well to their eyes.

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Interesting to read that leaves from the trees were sometimes used to aid with the cure. There were no signs of any rags today.

These two images from the National Folklore Photographic Collection show the well almost underneath a tree and I wonder whether the water was at some point redirected into the current well to make it more accessible, or has the original tree been cut down?

The whole area is exceptionally damp and water does seem to be emerging from under one tree though the focus is clearly on the circular well.

There are many stories of cures in the Schools’ Folklore Collection including a strange one about a little boy who had a pearl in his eye. He was brought to the well by his mother and as he looked in to the well, the pearl dropped out and he could see. (SFC:369:0527) Quite what the pearl was doing there in the first place I’m not sure.

Mrs Teresa Roberts, a consultant who was recorded as being 99 years old, recounted how another cure was achieved:

 A man was cured long ago. Pat Byrnes was his name, he is dead now. During the month of July he used to get up at 3 o’clock in the morning and do the rounds. He had turned eyes and after doing the rounds about six times day after day his eyes were cured. The prayers said are 5 Our Fathers 5 Hail Marys and five Glorias ten times each morning and every ten of those they said they used to hang a piece of cloth on the tree and now it is full of them. Many other people’s eyes were cured there also.

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The trees remain, large and imposing, surrounding the well. One holds an austere and empty metal shrine, next to it a decaying dream catcher.

 The well is dedicated to St James the Greater who is believed to have been responsible for its origins:

… the saint visited the earth after his death and at his bidding the holy well sprang up.

Main Manuscript, Folklore Collection 384-6:0466

Its feast day is 25th July, the best time to visit from midnight on the 24th July to midnight on the 25th July. It once attracted large numbers of pilgrims and nine rounds were paid, pilgrims using pebbles to count them. The day was a parish holiday and as usual, once the devotions had taken place, the festivities began, the day often ending in a faction fight. On one occasion the fight was so ferocious that St James himself had to intervene!

Every year on the 25th of July rounds are paid at the well. Every person who goes throws a pebble in to mark the rounds. Nobody likes to cut bushes around it. There are two other wells near it for household use. Long long ago there used to be tents at the well on the feast of St James. It is said that one day the people of the well had a fight and that St James separated them.

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The water in the well was of course never to be used for domestic purposes but after a woman washed clothes in it, it moved from its original position and came closer to the road. After this happened a little man, about three or four foot high, was often seen at the well after dark and regarded as the guardian of the well. A second well lies about 50m away where it is permissible to collect the water for domestic chores, maybe even to wash your clothes!

This is an oddly peaceful and tranquil place and although it seems to be rarely visited, has a very pleasant atmosphere.

I shall end this blog with in fond remembrance of Robert Harris, one half of the exemplary Roaringwater Journal, who has sadly and unexpectedly died recently. A much loved friend, fellow adventurer and holy well enthusiast. He will be much missed.

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