Since I began this project, a year and a half ago, I have come across dedications to 51 various saints at nearly 200 wells. The most popular patron is the Blessed Virgin Mary (BVM), who currently has 29 wells dedicated to her. Not surprising really considering her elevated place in the Catholic pantheon as Mary, […]
Schools' Folklore Project
Well Shifting around Donoughmore
Still travelling to Doneraile, three wells around Donoughmore lured us off the N20. All three were dedicated to St Lachteen, he of the beautiful arm reliquary and multiple wells around Kilnamartrya. He is also considered to be patron saint of Donoughmore and many churches and schools are still named after him, as are the three […]
En route to Doneraile 1: Dripsey
I’m just back from a few days in North Cork, a long list of wells on the agenda. We based ourselves in Doneraile but the journey up offered several opportunities for exploration. First stop – Dripsey where there were two wells, side by side, in what, according to the OS map, looked like the middle […]
St John’s Wells, Castletownbere
I knew this would be a bit of a challenge and had put off exploring until I had plenty of time – and energy. Just by looking at the OS map I could see these two wells, dedicated to St John, were situated right on top of a pretty steep mountain – the Maulin. From […]
Island Wells 3: Bere Island: An tOileán Mór
It’s always a pleasure to visit one of the islands off the coast of Cork, and each of the seven inhabited islands have a very distinct personality of their own. Today I was off to Bere island, An tOileán Mor (the big island); a short ferry trip from Castletownbere. Castletownbere was in a bit of […]
A Bit of Blarney
I always seem to be heading to the airport but what better excuse for a spot of well hunting. Three very different wells discovered today and a reminder of what real traffic can be like! Holy Well, Ballycannon, near BlarneyThe first well was located near Kerry Pike, a few miles outside Blarney. I spotted the […]