I’m just back from an excellent long weekend at the inaugural Skellig Coast Archaeology Festival. The weather was atrocious and many events were outside but we were a hardy lot and sallied forth anyway – and there were wells! St Crohane’s Well, Tobar Chrócháin One of the highlights of the programme for me was a […]
An Adventure to An Blascaod Mór
A tick off the bucket list and a visit to one of the most difficult holy wells to get to – Tobar an Croise, Well of the Cross, on An Blascaod Mór, Great Blasket Island, West Kerry. We have often gazed at the enigmatic Na Blascaodaí, the Blasket Islands, from the mainland, usually seen disappearing […]
Summer meanderings
In between all the excitement of the book finally being let loose into the world, I have had time to visit a few, mainly local, wells, which had so far escaped detection; and caught up with a few old favourites. Ballybane Holy Well In June Thomas Wiegandt Invited me to inspect his well in Ballybane […]
Book Launch
I’m delighted, and slightly terrified, to announce that my book, Holy Wells of County Cork, will be launched on Friday 21st July at the Working Artist Studios, Main Street, Ballydehob, from 5pm. Gary Branigan, author of The Ancient and Holy Wells of Dublin, will kindly be doing the honours. The book can now be pre-ordered […]
Cill Rialagh: an elusive well on the edge of the world
Still in Kerry and a wild and remote spot on the agenda today – Cill Rialaigh, or Kildreelig, an early ecclesiastical settlement on a small headland, clinging onto the cliffs – with a holy well. First we were distracted by St Michael’s Well, Tobar Mhíchíl, near Ballinskelligs, visited before but always worth a revisit. We […]
Sister, Wife, Mother, Saint: St Darerca of Valentia
St Darerca’s Well, also known as Sunday’s Well, Tobar Rí an Domhnaigh, is situated on scenic Valentia Island in Kerry. I had come across this attractive image taken in 1955 and hoped that it might still remain but two previous searches had been fruitless. This time I was determined to track it down. Having already […]