The last two years have been most strange and disconcerting, and we’re not out of the woods yet. Well hunting has been severely curtailed but I thought it might be interesting to do a quick round up of some of the wells visited during the moments lockdown was lifted. A trip to North Kerry in […]
Eyes
Enchantment around Myrtleville
I always love being invited to see a well. Deirdre contacted me during the first severe lockdown and explained that she had beaten a track to a holy well at Gortigrenane, within her 5km! She was delighted to have found the well, still flowing, and sent me some photographs, offering to take me there when […]
In the Wake of St Finán
How nice to be out and about in County Kerry after a long enforced lockdown due to Covid-19. We spent a few days in Waterville on the Iveragh Peninsula mainly in pursuit of St Finán Cam. This elusive and complex saint is fascinating and may need a blog to himself at some point for he […]
An Turas: in the footsteps of St Crohane
Tobar an Bhile, St Crohane’s Well near Castle Cove on the Ring of Kerry was the well that originally sparked my interest in Irish holy wells. Way back on the 30th July 1998 (I remember the date exactly as it was my son’s 18th birthday) I left our holiday home in the lashing rain to […]
St Kevin’s Holy Well, Glendalough
Enjoying a few days in County Wicklow, we visited the magical site that is Glendalough. A place of outstanding natural beauty, it comprises a lush valley, surrounded by mountains and two lakes, the perfect place for a wild hike – or a hermitage. It is also rich in an incredible variety of historic and religious […]
St Finbarr Revisited & some thoughts on conservation
I am finally back in Ireland having spent six months in New Zealand, four months longer than intended due to Covid-19! The virus continues to restrict movements so I decided to revisit two holy wells close to home and see how they were faring. Last time I visited was in 2016 and both wells, both […]