Himself is walking the Kerry Way and required a lift to Kenmare – a great opportunity to nip across to County Kerry, enjoy the sights and possibly seek out a few holy wells. The drive is a fabulous one – everything just gets bigger and more spectacular and more rugged almost the minute you are […]
Eyes
A Clonakilty Ramble part 2
Continuing on from the big day out in Clonakilty environs, four wells still remaining roughly in a direction towards Bandon. The next stop was Kilbrittain but I was momentarily distracted by some interesting things around Ballinascarthy which resulted in a quick stop to admire a ruined cottage, complete with unusually fancy door and windows. A possible […]
A Final Ramble around Clonakilty & Bandon, part 1
It was lovely to be back in the field after a pause due to bad weather and life in general. It also feels as though I am on the last stretch of this project for I have now visited almost 250 holy wells and I suspect there can only be another 50 or so left […]
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 […]
Island Wells 5: Heir Island, Inis Uí Dhrisceoil
Heir island is a remarkable place, tiny at just 2.5km long and 1.5km at its widest, but it has rugged cliffs, sandy beaches, green boreens, and wild moorland. It is home to more than 200 different wildflowers and a haven for birds. 26 souls enjoy it year round but in the summer the numbers swell […]