This has to be one of the most extraordinary and unusual sites yet visited. Extraordinary in so many ways: from the setting, to the monuments to the folklore. Apologies for the length of this post but I was immersed and enchanted! Veering off the N71 from Glengarriff to Kenmare, you encounter a myriad of tiny […]
pilgrimage
Signage, paths & no cows: three wells in North Kerry
This was rather an unexpected sight to see in a remote area of North Kerry: three larger than life statues of St Bridget, Our Lady and Christ crucified lined up along the side of a road. They were of course connected with a holy well. Knoppoge Holy Well, St Brigid’s Well, Tobar Eilís, Tobereleesh, Tobar […]
St Macadaw’s Well, Kerry Head: yet to be discovered
Kerry Head is a tiny peninsula jutting out into the Atlantic, the very limit of North Kerry. It is incredibly scenic and remote but home to several interesting holy wells. Today’s destination was St Macadaw’s church and holy well in the townland of Glenderry, a place of much folklore and tradition connected with one particular […]
An Epic Pilgrimage for Michaelmas
There is a very picturesque area near Baile an Sceilg, Ballinskelligs, on the Iveragh Peninsula in Kerry known as the Glen. It stretches from Duchalla Head to Puffin Island, encompassing the enigmatic Skellig Rocks nine miles off the coast. The most famous rock, Sceilg Mhíchíl, Skellig Michael, was an early Christian settlement, where the monks […]
Water into Wine & Other Stories; three wells dedicated to St Brendan
There are a wealth of wells dedicated to St Brendan in County Kerry. So far I have visited where he was baptised, where he anointed two heathens, where he received the vision to go across the Atlantic and various others that are dedicated to this well beloved and wandering saint. Three more were on my […]
A Mountain Well for Lughnasa
Some wells are more challenging than others. Tobar Bréanainn, St Brendan’s Well, on the summit of Cnoc Bréanainn, Mount Brandon, has to be one of the most dramatically positioned holy wells and one of the most fiendishly difficult I’ve ever attempted to get to. But it had to be done, and on the correct day, […]