All holy wells hold a capacity for healing. As far as I can ascertain, there some subtle distinctions between them: a Blessed Well, Tobar Beannaithe, holds a cure – often for sore eye or warts while Tobar Slanán, a health giving well, as the name suggest, contains water that is good for you and may or […]
On Wells 2: the Water & the Cure
The most significant thing about a holy well is of course the water. Not all wells are wells though, they can be springs, lakes, scoops in rock, ponds, hollows in trees or part of a stream. And not all wells now contain water – 37 holy wells visited were dry. Hopefully a few of those […]
On Wells 1: a few statistics
In February 2016 I set out to visit all the holy wells in County Cork and record what I found. Little did I realise what an interesting, eye opening and sociable journey it would be! The Archaeological Inventory for County Cork (2014) lists around 356 holy wells. Of this number around 50 are described as […]
A tale of Saints & Sheep: Tobar na Molt, Ardfert
A trip to Kerry and a chance to take a quick excursion to a well I have long wanted to visit – Tobar na Molt, Well of the Wethers, in Ardfert just north east of Tralee. I have always been intrigued by the name and this entry from the Schools’ Folklore Collection offers an explanation: […]
Three Gentlemen, a Yeti & a Medicinal Draught
One of the really nice things about well hunting has been the meeting of so many different people, often in unexpected circumstances, They have unfailingly been kind, interested and helpful. My favourite phrases have to be : I’ll take you – or Hang on, I’ll just get my wellies. Which brings me to three gentleman recently encountered […]
St John’s Well, Minard, Kerry
A few days on the Dingle Peninsula and what does one do with a bit of spare time – why visit a holy well of course. First we had a quick mooch around Dingle in the sunshine, admiring the many quirky doors and colour schemes. Then it was on to Minard, via Annascaul and its […]