We had several attempts at finding this well and were eventually directed towards a farm. The farmer was below tending sheep and waved us on up, telling us that we could drive all the way to the top of the hill where the well lay, not a bother. We drove a fair way up the […]
Our Lady’s Well, near Cloyne
A few days in east Cork on a holy well expedition proved fascinating and rewarding. The very first well visited was probably one of my all time favourites and really the epitome of all that’s special about Irish holy wells. Lady’s Well, Tobar Mhuire, Titeskin Near the ruins of the old church of Titeskin (or […]
St Finbarr’s Well, Gougane Barra: pilgrimage day
The 25th September, is the Feast day of St Finbarr, also known as Gougane Sunday. St Finbarr is the patron saint of the city of Cork and the Dioscese of Cork. Gougane Barra, where he established a monastic cell in the sixth century, was, and remains, one of the main pilgrimage destinations in County Cork. […]
On the road to Derryduff in search of St Finbarr
This Sunday, 25th September, is the Feast Day of St Finbarr, the patron saint of Cork. There will be Mass held at Gougane Barra where he established a cell in the seventh century (more information about this shortly). Traditionally pilgrimages were made to Gougane at this time of year from all over Cork and many […]
A tale of two Lickeys*
What makes a well holy is a question I’ve often been asked and one I pondered on today as I investigated two very different but both interesting wells. Letterlickey Well First stop Letterlickey (leitir lice, hillside of the flagstones) where I had been invited to look at a well on private land. The owners had […]
A Forgotten Quartet off the R586
The road between Drimoleague and Bandon offers the opportunity for many holy well diversions – all of them obscure and quite tricky to find, but all worth pursuing. Today there were four wells on the agenda, each clearly marked on the OS map (Discovery Series 86 covers this area). Well of the Baptisms, Tobar a’Bhaiste, Tobernabastia, Nedinagh […]