It’a always interesting to look back on a year and see where I’ve been and what I’ve done. It didn’t feel as though I’d visited many holy wells this year as much of my time had been taken up with the project Well, Well, Well?, working with artist Marie Brett. This immersive and creative project […]
Limerick
St Munchin the Wise and St James the Greater: two saintly encounters in Limerick
It’s impossible not to be intrigued by a saint called St Munchin or Mainchín mac Setnaí to give him his full name. Sometimes known as Munchin the Wise or Little Monk, folklore surrounding his dates and origins are confusing but he is patron saint of Limerick City which some stories credit him with founding. Like […]
Two Limerick Wells for Paddy’s Day: Singland & Patrickswell
There are 19 wells dedicated to the patron saint in County Limerick but whether he actually set foot here is debatable. I rather hope he did for his presence is everywhere. He left his footprints at Ballyelan; handprints at Ballingary; the print of his back on a tree at Knockainey and saintly kneeprints at Cloncagh […]
Shady Lady: Mary Magdalen’s Well, Kilbane, Limerick City
One of the holy wells I was keen to visit on my Limerick trip is dedicated to Mary Magdalen, the only one I have come across with this dedication. Two photos from the National Folklore Photographic Collection show how impressive it had looked in the 1950s, sporting a stone cupola and containing a life-size statue […]
Brigid 1500: the Keeper of the Flame
This year, 2024, marks the 1500th anniversary of the death of St Brigid, one of the three patron saints of Ireland, along with St Patrick and St Colmcille. Brigid is believed to have to have been born around 450AD in Faughart, County Louth but she is mainly associated with Kildare where she founded a religious […]
Views, folklore & a lot of green: St Patrick’s Well, Knockpatrick, Limerick
Close to the sea-drenched well at Barrigone is another well, a very different one, this one 572m above sea level and one of several interconnected monuments. St Patrick’s Well, Knockpatrick The site is gated but clearly signed and there is public access. We decided to go to the summit first and and followed the roughly […]