St Dominic’s Well, Glanworth & some thoughts on restoration & maintenance

I was recently invited to Glanworth in North Cork to give a talk on holy wells as part of National Heritage Week, and to acknowledge the recent renovation of St Dominic’s Holy Well by the local community groups.

I have visited a few times before, each time alarmed by the neglected and sorry state of this important well. This photo is from two years ago. The situation was, as it often is, complicated and I was delighted to hear that the local Heritage Group and Tidy Towns Group had been given access to the well and I was much looking forward to seeing how they had got on.

Prior to this visit, I found out a little more about this intriguing site and have adapted part of my talk for this blog.

What’s the story? The Friary seems a good place to start. The Dominican order of preaching friars arrived in Ireland in 1224 and spread rapidly. The Dominican Friary in Glanworth, dedicated to the Holy Cross and also known as Rock Abbey, was part of a second wave of Dominican activity in the 15C and was founded in 1475 by the Roche family. It only flourished for a short time and was suppressed in 1541 after the Dissolution of the Monasteries. As Daphne Pochin Mould noted in her scholarly yet highly readable account of the Order – The Irish Dominicans – friaries often had holy wells dedicated to their founder, St Dominic,  which were objects of great devotion. This fits nicely with the Glanworth holy well which is just a few hundred metres away from the Friary ruins, down by the River Funcheon, and is dedicated to St Dominic. This photo of the Friary was taken from the well site.

A short extract in the Schools’ Folklore Collection gives a quick history and an explanation as to why the well sprung up. This was collected by Mary Hickey on the 14th March 1937:

Adjacent to the castle grounds are the ruins of the Dominican Abbey which was founded by Dominican monks in 1220. Many students from abroad studied in this Abbey, and tradition reveals that St. Malachy was also there. They were famed and renowned for their excellent teaching, which was sought after by numerous scholars, but about 1649, after many years of holy life devoted in the service of God and his Church, they were finally evicted by Cromwell. To prove their piety and sincere love of God a well sprung up nearby which is known as St. Dominick’s.(SFC: 082:0378)

This gives an different date for the Friary and there is some speculation that there was an earlier foundation on the site. It’s interesting to wonder if the presence of a sacred spring was the reason that the Friary was built where it was in the first place. 

Even after the Friary had fallen into disuse, the well remained a site of veneration and  pilgrimage. Charles Smith visited in the 1750s and noted:

Near Glanworth Abbey, on the verge of the Funcheon river, is a fine spring, bubbling out of the limestone rock, of limpid water, held in great esteem as a holy well by the superstitious Irish; it is dedicated to St. Dominick, and visited on his festival. Over the well is a large old tree, on the boughs of which an infinite number of rags of all colours are tied, as memorials of their devotion to this water, which, they affirm, has performed several miraculous cures (The Ancient and Present State of the County and City of Cork, Charles Smith, 1756)

Fast forward nearly 90 years and it sounds as though its popularity has declined:

Tubbernacruinahur Holy Well, ‘St. Dominick’s Well,’ or perhaps ‘the well of the priest,’ is situated in the south part of the townland of Boherash (about one chain west of the river Funcheon). There were patrons held in it formerly, but it is now done away with. (Ordnance Field Book, 1840)

The Field Book throws in an interesting and complicating detail – an alternative or additional name for the well: Tubbernacruinahur Holy Well. Other references also suggest a different name anglicised to Cronee’s Well or Chronee’s Well. When I put this on my original blog another blogger, Vox Hiberionacom, proffered this explanation:

… cruinniú/cruinnithe/ ‘gathering of people, meeting, assembly. Hence, Tubbernacruinahur could be something like ‘Well of the Gathering’. This might also go a way towards explaining ‘Cronee’ i.e. a garbled rendition of ‘cruinniú’,. (Vox Hiberioincom)

Another possible explanation is given here: 

Near the ruins of Roches Castle in the village is a blessed well known as Cronee which gets its name from the saint who traditions says was the brother of St Fanahan. (SFC:120/121:0373)

And there’s also a suggestion that there could be more than one well:

There are two spring wells near Glanworth, one of the springs is called Cronee. (SFC: 211: 0371)

Although the historic maps refer consistently to Dominick’s Well,  the 25 inch has two other springs clearly marked – could one of them have been Cronee’s well? No one at my talk seemed very sure as to what was going on but Cronee’s Well is still used as an alternative or additional name to St Dominic’s Well.

Although the well is reported as being in decline in 1840, its fortunes obviously improved as this beautiful and well known postcard demonstrates. It was taken by J Valentine in 1906  and it’s worth having a close look at the details here.

How intriguing to see the beautifully made tiered tower, the cube-shaped whitewashed well carefully protected by a palisade topped with white balls, a small gap allowing entry. The four people, two women and two children, look very well dressed, a hat discarded on the ground, three of them sitting on some sort of ledge, the little boy inspecting the well. Maybe they are visiting on the pattern day? The Friary is very much in view.

Colonel Grove White visited in the same year, also taking a photograph and giving a few more details: 

Still closer to the Holy Well is another smaller structure, on which is fixed a little wooden case containing statues. The well was surrounded lately by a wooden paling, but I noticed some of it was thrown down as if by cattle. (Grove White, Historical & Topographical Notes Etc, Vol 1)

Mrs Ellen Ó Sullivan supplied these interesting details as to when the well was visited and the rituals connected with it:

Patrons used to be held here in days gone by on August the 15th, the Rosary being said at certain points and cures were attributed to the intercession of the saint. From the well runs a small stream from which people with facial disfigurements, sore eyes etc used to bathe and get some relief. This water gives great relief to sick people but there is a tradition about its use. The person bringing it must say some rounds at the well then go direct to the bed of the sick person who must have the first sip – otherwise there would be no cure. Should the carrier of the water stand to talk to those he meets the power of the cure would leave the water. Alongside the well there used to be a bush upon which pieces of ribbons, sticks etc were put in thanksgiving for favours received. … . Local tradition has it that if the water of the well was boiled it would turn to blood. (SFC:120/121:0373)

How wonderful that Ellen Ó Sullivan’s great granddaughter, Kate (Ó Sullivan) Lennon, should have been at the talk and she sent kindly me this photograph of her great-grandmother.

The caption on the back reads: Ellen Kennedy O’Sullivan, (Centre) outside her home in Ballinroe. L-R C1948 with her Grandson Michael and Granddaughter Catherine O’Sullivan, their Father Bill his sister Margaret O’Sullivan and her grandson visiting from New York,  Patrick Cassidy. You can see a trap in the background. If you look closely you can see a young boys head peeping over the trap. Can you guess who this is?

Kate added some extra personal information:

We all had a devotion to the well. We have a deep root here and can trace our family back to at least 1789. My brother Dominic O’Sullivan born 1967 was called after the well. In fact I have another brother called Brendan  born 1968 called after the well in Ballyhooly …. During the last years of his life my father raised a sum of €1200, through opening our garden in Ballinroe. He then donated this to the Local church for the preservation of the well. 

How special to have a face to go with the name of the informant in the Schools’ Folklore entry and it’s personal information such as this that really brings the significance of the well alive.

The well was still receiving pilgrims in the 1940s as this account from the Irish Tourism Association Survey describes:

St Dominick’s holy well is situated on the right bank of the Funcheon river a short distance from Glanworth castle. It is a fine spring, bubbling out of the rocks, and in former times was held in great esteem. It is also known as Tobbernacruinhar holy well. Rounds were paid here on Easter Sunday. Three rosaries were said  while walking around the well before sunrise. The well was supposed to have a general cure for all ailments. (Irish Tourism Association Survey for Cork, 1940s)

A few years later in 1957, this black and white photo was taken by Daphne Pochin Mould, the well and child both looking nicely turned out.

 We went for a quick recce to the well before the talk. It’s a wonderful bosky walk down from the ancient bridge, passed the old mill along the peaceful, wildflower-strewn banks of the river.

As we approached the well, the land became waterlogged, little springs popping up all over the place, a long stone-lined channel heading for the river, clearly originating in the well. This runoff was where pilgrims were once encouraged to wash their limbs, the main well being used for drinking or bathing sore eyes.

And then there was the well, finally clearly visible.

It has been carefully cleaned up, the large flat stone slabs surrounding it and its odd cube-shaped wellhouse cleared of brambles. The wellhouse remains a bit of a puzzle, its purpose unclear. It seems to consist of a solid heap of stones, literally piled up on top of each other – you expect an arch or a glimpse inside somehow. Two stones are placed over the water, presumably to allow access to the water.

The water can be seen percolating vigorously and is cold and clean, said to hold a cure for sore eyes and facial disfigurements.

It’s also very refreshing for tired feet.

The rest of the site has also been extensively cleared of undergrowth but it’s still challenging to try and work out what’s what, especially if comparing with the postcard. Could the rocky outcrop behind the well be the one the women and child were sitting on?

The unique pilgrims’ shelter, or hermitage, remains though it’s still a challenging climb to clamber up the steep slope. This was built in the 1830s by a local eccentric, Jack Sheehan, for the use of pilgrims in inclement weather. The stone seats have now gone as have the top three tiers of the tower, felled during the troubles, when one side or the other suspected ammunition was being stored within.

This a wonderful example of how a holy well should be restored. In Glanworth, the local groups initially consulted an archaeologist for advice, reached out to other experts and interested parties and worked alongside the landowner. The impinging undergrowth was carefully removed and the wellhouse left as found. The well and runoff has been cleared of surface debris and the water now flows freely. The well was reblessed in August 2025 and hopefully will now remain accessible to both local people and visitors.

And another positive story. Bandon Soccer Football Club has been awarded a small heritage grant to conduct an initial inquiry into restoring and enhancing the area around two holy wells in the Town Park, Kilbrogan, just outside Bandon. Like St Dominic’s Well, these have a long and varied history and are ripe for gentle restoration and a bit of tlc. Wishing them a sunny future.

Restoration & Maintenance

With so many holy wells languishing in neglect or in danger of disappearing, it is tempting to leap in and give them a thorough clearance but It might be useful to recap on what the situation is regarding restoration and maintenance.

The National Monuments Service is an essential place to start and its website offers clear information. The Record of Monuments and Places (RMP) is a list of recorded monuments and places for each county and includes holy wells, listed here as ritual sites – each well has its own Sites and Monuments Record (SMR). All monuments listed in the RMP are protected under the National Monuments Acts and anyone proposing to carry out work at a recorded monument is required to give notice in writing before commencing any work. The full details can be accessed here.

If considering restoration of a holy well:

Inform the National Monuments Service.

Contact the County Heritage Officer or County Archaeologist who may also be able to advise on grants. The Heritage Council has produced an attractive booklet, The Holy Wells of Ireland, which includes advice about care and maintenance.

Check ownership of the well. Even if a well looks neglected it doesn’t necessarily mean it is. Many wells have custodians, the task often bequeathed to them by parents, grandparents etc. Many holy wells are on private land and no work should be contemplated without the owner’s permission and consent.

Check if any one else has begun to consider renovating the well. Many local groups are showing interest in their local wells, including Tidy Towns and Heritage groups and they may already have started negotiations behind the scenes.

Like graveyards, few holy wells have been excavated, altered or modified due to their sensitive nature and as such any changes should be carried out with extreme caution. Be aware a holy well may be one part of a larger ritual complex – there may be humps and bumps indicating other archaeology that also needs to be considered.

Be mindful of different meanings holy wells have to a local community, resist the urge to interpret the site in a certain way.

Many holy well sites are in a pristine condition ecologically and are home to a rich diversity of wildflowers, insects and animals. This too needs to be respected, considered and enouraged.

Statutory protection does not prevent some sites becoming neglected over time so it is sensible and realistic that local groups and individuals should be responsible for the basic maintenance of a local holy well.

Many wells are traditionally cleaned before their feast day, usually by the custodian or a group who fully understand the well site. If clearing a highly overgrown site, any work should be as non-invasive as possible. Limit the clearing of undergrowth and do not use power tools. Be wary of interfering with ivy for it may be holding a structure together. Seek advice about current good practice

Do not use any cleaning materials in the water. If it is scummy, the top layer can be gently scooped off. If the well is clogged up and there is a lot of silt, seek advice. The silt may have been undisturbed for decades and may contain clues as to how the well has been used over the centuries which could inadvertently be destroyed or discarded.

Ideally offerings left at holy wells should be biodegradable but it’s important to note that each votive has been left as a specific intention and should not be removed.

The best advice comes from the Heritage Council: Good work is sometimes doing very little, so it may be a case of leave well alone!

I’m finishing with a poem written by Aisling Cotter, a leading member of Glanworth Heritage Group which sums up the situation beautifully:

St Dominic’s Well

A place long forgotten, reclaimed by nature. 

We visited on summer rambles,

but saw only the stream of clear, cool spring water. 

The marshy ground stopped us from exploring further. 

There were stories of a structure, now obscured by brambles, which we could only imagine. 

Water was central to our childhoods.

The river flowed not just through the land, but through our memories. 

Childish meandering turned into adult tedium.

She lay forgotten while we were busy with life. 

But were we really living? 

Lockdown reawakened something: a connection with nature, with heritage, with culture and history.

One crisp spring morning, I found the courage to cross the bog. 

I stood before the place where I knew the tower to be. 

I could see it yet how to reach it?

There was no direct path. (The best ones seldom are.) 

I climbed a mound in my wellies. Battling briars and nettles until…

I found myself behind the tower. 

Carefully lowering myself through branches and thorns until I had finally arrived. 

What a feeling! Why had I neglected her for so long. 

Today she is a beauty to behold; a calm serene energy exists.

A rose grows from the source of the well.

Swans and ducks glide past.

Horses frolic in fields across the way.

Pheasants, Herons, and foxes rear their young here.

Nature is alive and omnipotent as is memory. 

Many people remembered her, but it was collective remembering and toiling that enabled her rise again. 

It will be our great legacy to ensure this beautiful spring continues to flow and is never neglected again.

With thanks to Glanworth Heritage Group for their kind invitation and for looking after me so well. Thanks to Aisling Cotter for allowing me to include her poem and to Kate Lennon for sending me the photograph of her great grandmother, Ellen Ó Sullivan..

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