In the middle of a small road leading to the Swiss Cottage in Cahir, County Tipperary , is a lozenge shape, inlaid with stones – but look carefully and two large scoops can be seen in the centre. These are described as imprints left by St Patrick’s knees when he knelt down to pray whilst […]
Bantry
St Senan & Friends
Today we had an anticlockwise route planned from Listowel, up to Tarbert, through Longford, on to Carrig Island, west towards Ballybunion and then back to Listowel. It was an excellent day which will be dealt with in two blogs. Sunday’s Well, Tobar Rí an Domhnaigh First stop an explore of some very muddy fields and […]
On Wells 4: Pilgrimage, Partying & Paying the Rounds
You can of course visit a holy well any day of the week but there are certain times when a visit is considered to be especially potent. The main day for visiting a well is the pattern day or pátrún day, usually celebrated on the patron saint’s feast day. St John’s wells are visited on […]
The Magical Well
Sometimes you find no definite well but a whole lot of interesting stories! Whilst browsing through the holy well entries for Bantry in the Schools’ Folklore Collection, as you do, I came across this extraordinary account. My Gaeilge being somewhat lacking, I sought help from a Gaeilgeoir and this is her translation: The Magical Well […]
St Bartholomew’s Well, Tobar Partalam, near Bantry
This little well proved very elusive. I had tried on two previous occasions to locate it and had driven down small lanes, asked two women on horseback and generally found nothing. Armed with the GPS and a navigator, things proved a little easier the third time. We pulled into the corner and looked hopefully into […]
St Brendan’s Well, Tobar Breanain, Castlepoint
This little well proved very elusive the first time we looked for it but the exploration was interesting. We asked directions from a man who was tie dyeing table cloths for his 70th birthday. He was a little uncertain but pointed us in the right direction. We searched hither and thither but found nothing that […]