Unbelievably is seems that ten years have passed since I first ventured out, rather naively it has to be said, on my quest to visit and record the state of the holy wells in County Cork. My original motives were curiosity and a desire to see a bit more of the county, a good project for my recent retirement. I hadn’t really thought it through and wasn’t expecting to be so entranced and absorbed by my peregrination. When I set out I knew very little about the traditions or folklore surrounding holy wells nor about the attendant rituals and etiquette. I’ve had my eyes opened in all respects. These are a few of my experiences.
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In the Hoofprints of St Manchán: a trip to County Offaly
We’re just back from a short but action-packed few days in County Westmeath which turned out to be full of wonders and astonishment. Perhaps the most amazing was to be found enroute to the early monastic site of Lemanaghan, actually in County Offaly. St Manchán’s Shrine, Boher The first stop was at the little church […]
A mysterious well at the end of the world – St Erc, Kerry Head
I have unsuccessfully tried to find St Erc’s Well on two previous occasion and written about my first experience here. It has played on my mind however, and another trip to North Kerry in the company of Himself and Finola from Roaringwater Journal, provided an opportunity for a third, and hopefully, fruitful exploration. St Erc’s […]
Diversions in Tipperary Part 4: featuring some strange & colourful saints
Whilst roving around Tipperary recently, we came across some wonderful sites connected with some colourful and interesting saints – some previously visited before and some new. First up St Séadna, possibly St John, St Seona, St Sedna or even St Senan. St Séadna’s Well, Glen of Aherlow Located in the south east corner of Clonbeg […]
Diversions in Tipperary: Part 3. Tobar Íosa, Cahir
It’s been a while since we had a proper fieldtrip and this one was bittersweet – the first time we had ventured out without Robert, our dear friend, husband of Finola, and one half of Roaringwater Journal, who sadly passed away in March. Although much missed he seemed ever present and I know he would […]
St Munchin the Wise and St James the Greater: two saintly encounters in Limerick
It’s impossible not to be intrigued by a saint called St Munchin or Mainchín mac Setnaí to give him his full name. Sometimes known as Munchin the Wise or Little Monk, folklore surrounding his dates and origins are confusing but he is patron saint of Limerick City which some stories credit him with founding. Like […]