I’m just back from an excellent two day conference on Holy Wells, An Tobar, in Waterford. It’s always good to meet like minded fellow enthusiasts and it was a very cosmopolitan and interesting gathering. Congratulations to the two organisers, Celeste Ray and Shane Lordan, for such a well organised and comprehensive conference. After all the […]
Eyes
St John’s Wells, Castletownbere
I knew this would be a bit of a challenge and had put off exploring until I had plenty of time – and energy. Just by looking at the OS map I could see these two wells, dedicated to St John, were situated right on top of a pretty steep mountain – the Maulin. From […]
Island Wells 3: Bere Island: An tOileán Mór
It’s always a pleasure to visit one of the islands off the coast of Cork, and each of the seven inhabited islands have a very distinct personality of their own. Today I was off to Bere island, An tOileán Mor (the big island); a short ferry trip from Castletownbere. Castletownbere was in a bit of […]
Beara Wells 2 & a trip into Kerry
Like a terrier with a stick, I kept on thinking about St Mochuda’s Well as yet unfound, and the mystery well at the roadside. A few weeks ago we had a second trip to the Beara Peninsula and had time to investigate further. A gorgeous cold day, snow on the mountains, the wind whipping through […]
St Dominic’s Holy Well, Glanworth
St Dominic’s Well, Tubbernacruinahur, Glanworth This well was visited at the very end of an intense day of exploration. The light was fading and weariness setting in but there was just time for one more well – one I really wanted to visit for I had seen an enticing photograph and hoped against hope that […]
Fionnchú: The White Hound
Arriving in Mitchelstown in the late afternoon the light was fading and a thin mizzle had set in but we thought we could manage a trip to two wells dedicated to the town saint, St Fanahan, or, as he is known as Gaeilge, St Fionnchú: the white hound. St Fanahans’s Well, Tobar Naomh Fionnchú St […]