This year, 2024, marks the 1500th anniversary of the death of St Brigid, one of the three patron saints of Ireland, along with St Patrick and St Colmcille. Brigid is believed to have to have been born around 450AD in Faughart, County Louth but she is mainly associated with Kildare where she founded a religious […]
Lough Hyne
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 […]
On Wells 2: the Water & the Cure
The most significant thing about a holy well is of course the water. Not all wells are wells though, they can be springs, lakes, scoops in rock, ponds, hollows in trees or part of a stream. And not all wells now contain water – 37 holy wells visited were dry. Hopefully a few of those […]
Two magical wells at Lough Hyne
Well of the Eyes, Tobairín na Súl This is a most magical site tucked away on the edge of Knockomagh Woods near the shores of Lough Hyne. The well has a tremendous aura and seems to gaze out at you from amongst the trees, beckoning you across the stepping stones over the stream, along the […]
St Brigid’s Well, Tobar Brighde, Lough Hyne
St Bridget’s Day seems an auspicious date to start a blog about holy wells! And where better to start than Tobar Breedy in West Cork.