St John’s Well, Tobairín na bhFaithni The forecast promised light air, hardly any cloud and the odd bit of sunshine. It seemed like the perfect day to climb Mushera Mór, near Millstreet, and seek out the holy well that lies at the summit. After a day of nonstop torrential rain, the roads were wet and […]
North Cork
Kilmacow Holy Well, near Kanturk
After a disappointing search for a a couple of wells near Kanturk, we decided to try one more site before returning home to West Cork. It proved to be something rather special. Kilmacow Holy Well, Tobarkilmacoo The well was instantly recognisable as we travelled up the long boreen towards the farmhouse, for there in a […]
Fursey, Friday & Sunday: well hunting around Banteer
Day 2 of the Banteer explorations and the the first well on today’s agenda was very close to where we were staying. St Fursey’s Well (or Forsin or Forsa or Fursa) seemed to lie just outside an old graveyard. We found the graveyard easily enough, right beside the road and very enticing it was too […]
St Ita & St Finnian: more exploring around Millstreet
North Cork is rich in holy wells and although we have made several fruitful exploratory visits already, there are still plenty of interesting sites to visit. We travelled with our friends Robert and Finola of Roaringwater Journal fame and treated ourselves to two nights in a large and spacious Airbnb just outside Banteer. St Ita’s […]
Meandering south of Mallow
Four wells on the agenda today, all south of Mallow and all having interesting and detailed write ups by Colonel Grove White in his Historical and Topological Notes etc. Ania’s Well, Tobar Aine, Dromore As we approached Dromore House, (now called Nazareth House and run by the Sisters of Nazareth as a holistic centre) where the well […]
St Gregory & St Catherine: two secretive wells in North Cork
Visiting North Cork with some friends we headed in the direction of Glanworth, first stopping off at two saintly wells: one dedicated to St Gregory and the other to St Catherine. Gregory’s Well, Tobercarrown, Ballyshonock This well is not marked on the current OS map but is referred to as Tobercarrown on the historic 25 […]