Who knew an innocent paragraph could lead down so many different paths and involve so much detective work and strange stories! Browsing through Sacred Waters, I came across an intriguing reference to a holy lake in County Cork that I had not yet come across: … the sacred lake of Loughadrine (Cork) which cured all […]
Rosscarbery
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 […]
In the footsteps of St Fachtna
Today, 13th August, is the Feast Day of St Fachtna. At least I think it is! It was originally the 14th of August but sometime in the 1960s, the General Roman Calendar, which seems to decided these things, offered the day to St Maximilian Kolbe instead, and St Fachtna was given the 13th. Anyway, it […]
Tobairín na Teampaill, Little Well of the Church, Durrus
You need sharp eyes to spot this tiny little well. It is literally cut out of the side of a bank, the area heavily overgrown with ferns. When I first visited in 2016, I cleared away a little of the undergrowth to reveal asmall, rectangular, stone basin; the water fresh and clear Traditionally this well […]