One of the holy wells I was keen to visit on my Limerick trip is dedicated to Mary Magdalen, the only one I have come across with this dedication. Two photos from the National Folklore Photographic Collection show how impressive it had looked in the 1950s, sporting a stone cupola and containing a life-size statue […]
offerings
Wonderful Wells & Wild Weather: squelching around the Iveragh
I’m just back from an excellent long weekend at the inaugural Skellig Coast Archaeology Festival. The weather was atrocious and many events were outside but we were a hardy lot and sallied forth anyway – and there were wells! St Crohane’s Well, Tobar Chrócháin One of the highlights of the programme for me was a […]
Barrigone: an estuary well
An unusual well in County Limerick on the agenda today, one literally in an estuary. Barrigone Well, St Jude’s Well, Craggs I have long been intrigued by this well having seen images of it waterlogged, like a small ship afloat. It’s situated on the Robertstown River estuary which flows out to join the mighty Shannon […]
Enticed by old photographs: three ladies encountered around Adare
The National Folklore Photographic Collection, available online at duchas.ie, is an invaluable source with a wide ranging variety of images including holy wells. County Limerick seems especially well documented and each of the three wells covered in this blog initially enticed me with their beautiful black and white photographs. I had high hopes for each […]
Secrets, signs and sore eyes: Lispole part 2
After our early morning searching for heads, Billy and I left the others to coffee and went in search of Tobar an Rúin, the Well of the Secret, which proved to be exceptionally well named! Tobar an Rúin, Toberaroon, Well of the Secret, St Gobnait’s Well Encouragingly Billy had been to the well the year […]
A holy stone & a crooked half crown: meandering in South Kerry
A quick field trip to County Kerry recently produced a couple of interesting finds. The first was a bullaun stone, recognised as a holy well, now enclosed in its own ivy-covered stone enclosure at the side of the Cloonalassan road out for Castlemaine. Closer inspection revealed the bullaun to be large, flush with the ground […]