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 […]
North Cork
In Praise of Well Keepers
I am in the early stages of collaborating on an art project focusing on holy wells. Marie Brett is leading the project and approached me with inquiries about locating possible holy wells. After a lot of difficulty I narrowed it down to four wells, two in North Cork and two in North Kerry, all visited […]
Good Well Hunting: what exactly makes a well holy?
Dotted around County Cork are many wells, some which seem to have the potential for being a holy well yet are not officially recognised as such. Over the summer I have been invited to visit several wells in different parts of the county by people curious as to whether their well was holy or not! […]
St Finán Cam: the Squinty One
On the lookout for St Gregory’s Well, Tobar i Choill, in Glenbeigh, a chance conversation in the excellent Emilie’s café alerted us to St Finán’s Well. St Gregory proved elusive, too overgrown, but St Finán’s Well turned out to be a much loved and distinguished well in an imposing situation, located about two kilometres out […]
St Gobnait & the Iron Man
St Gobnait has been extensively covered in previous blogs but there were a few loose ends to tie and there is always something new to discover about this fascinating local saint. A bit of cross county exploration led to a few disappointments but also some delights. Holy Well, Kilgobnet, near Dripsey I was alerted to […]
In Search of Fair Women: from Matehy to Cahersiveen
A most enjoyable morning in the company of Patsy O Callagan and John Lane, two very knowledgeable and passionate local historians. They had invited me to explore two obscure wells in their parish of Iniscarra – how could I refuse. Fuelled with good coffee at the Angler’s Rest we headed off down small country lanes, […]