I suppose I must have visited nearly 400 holy wells over the last few years and some are still capable of surprise, none more so than this one in Lixnaw, North Kerry, dedicated to St Michael the Archangel: Tobar Mhíchíl. The Site The well is clearly signed off the R557 just before reaching the village […]
Tobar an Bhile & a lot of Serendipity
Many years ago, and I’m talking about the late 1990s, we came for a family holiday in Kerry, staying in a cottage on the old butter road high on the slopes above Coad Mountain not far from Caherdaniel. Whilst in the local shop, I saw a notice about a pattern day at a holy well […]
Two wells on Valentia Island
A couple of days staying on Valentia Island. The weather roared and howled around us with a complex mixture of snow and sleet, gales and glorious sunshine. Our comfy base was the Royal Hotel Valentia – a roaring fire and excellent food welcoming us after each hard day’s well hunt. Valentia is a remarkable place […]
St Fursey & the Holy Mountain
It’s been three years since I started this project to visit every holy well in County Cork and record what I found. I have visited approximately 300 wells and apart from a couple, think that the remaining 50 can mainly be classified as no visible trace. I have changed the introduction to the website and […]
On Wells 5: Their Sacred Trees
One of the most encouraging sights to see is a lone tree in a field, one that has been carefully left to its own devices, for often under that tree is a holy well. Holy wells and sacred trees go together perfectly for, like wells, trees have long been subjects of devotion and mystery. Found […]
Wild out East
The last few wells in East Cork beckoned and on paper they sounded rather a motley crew. The reality was pretty much the same but a very interesting story was revealed. We stayed in Cobh overnight and enjoyed a beautiful evening light. The buildings glowed and we strolled along the Prom, admired St Colman’s Cathedral, […]