Today’s adventure was centred around the scenic back roads between Dunmanway and Crookstown, a day of exploration with my pals Robert and Finola from Roaringwater Journal. Several holy wells were of course on the agenda. St Finbarr’s Well, Tobar na Daibhche, DunmanwayFirst stop was St Finbarr’s Well just outside Dunmanway, an area of little shady roads, […]
West Cork
Well of the Flax, Tobar á Linn, Dunbeacon
This well takes a bit of finding! I first visited it about two years ago and went up and down tiny pot-holed roads clutching onto my map, where astonishingly it’s marked. Fortunately, as I was wandering down a very muddy boreen in the wrong direction I met two people who not only knew about the […]
Tobar Eoin Óg, St John’s Well, Carrigaline
Today is the Feast of St John the Baptist, a good example of one of those Christian festivals that neatly superimposed itself upon a much older pagan celebration, for it is also Midsummer – an ancient Celtic festival when fires were lit to honour Áine, the goddess associated with the sun, fertility and the protection […]
Two Beara wells
A visit to Castletownbere gave the perfect opportunity for a small adventure on the way back. First I went up to Dereenataggart Stone Circle, admired the rag tree and was visited by the rather snooty but very handsome guardian of the place. Then on to check out two wells. Both turned out to be unexpectedly […]
Island Wells 1: Tobar Ciarán, Oiléan Cléire
Today’s exploration involved a ferry, not my favourite means of travel as I have no sea legs, but the forecast was good, the sea looked calm and a well beckoned. What a great excuse to visit Oiléan Cléire, or Cape Clear Island – eight miles off the mainland and a really beautiful island, with crystal […]
St Colman’s Well, Cullomane East
At first sight, this little well does not look terribly exciting or interesting but looks can be deceptive! This area is bursting with interesting archaeological remains, evidence that it has been spiritually significant for many millennia. The well takes a bit of finding – identified by a rather sorry looking dip in the pasture, filled […]