Fuelled with coffee at Budds in Ballydehob we headed off on the R586 towards Bandon, five wells in the GPS. Holy Well, Killowen First stop, a sharp left after Murragh and up an unexpected glen, full of dense foliage and the sound of dripping water. We parked in a layby and Ger just happened to […]
Mass Rock
Some thoughts on Bullauns
Travelling around looking for holy wells, as you do, it is remarkable how often a bullaun is encountered – either situated near a well or sometimes described as the well itself. A bullaun is, at its most simple, a man-made hollow carved in a rock. They crop up all over the place and there are […]
In Search of Cats around Toe Head
The day being fine we set out for Toe Head, a small peninsula somewhere below Skibbereen roughly towards Castletownsend. There were three wells on the agenda and I was not very hopeful about finding any of them. Once off the main Castletownsend road the roads become quite challenging but highly scenic: tiny bumpy roads with […]
Lady’s well, Ballycurrany
There are but two holy wells in this parish, one in Ballycrana and the other in Templeboden, both of which are very well kept. The people still visit them on the week preceding the twelfth of August and perform three visits around the well. We go to the one in Ballycrana which is in Mr […]
Lady’s Well, Tobar Mhuire, Sheep’s Head
This attractive little well is found next to a Mass rock and together they form a special site, still visited and venerated. The road that leads up to Lady’s Well is signed but tiny with huge views across Bantry Bay. Park where you can then go through the stile, across a very muddy field, sometimes […]
Four rather obscure wells on the Mizen
After all the rain and gales, what a beautiful day to be out exploring and hunting for wells. Today we had several wells on the Mizen Peninsula in our sights, all pretty small and obscure but intriguing. Holy well, AltarThe Altar is a famous wedge tomb in a spectacular setting overlooking Toormore but I only […]