Today’s explorations were all within distance of the R584 meandering from Kealkil towards Macroom. The countryside was looking spectacular – all russets and ochres. First stop Togher. Couragh Well, Cabhrach,Togher Driving up to the farm to ask directions, the sight of the fortified house looming in the adjacent field is an impressive one. This incredibly […]
Schools' Folklore Project
In Search of Cats around Toe Head
The day being fine we set out for Toe Head, a small peninsula somewhere below Skibbereen roughly towards Castletownsend. There were three wells on the agenda and I was not very hopeful about finding any of them. Once off the main Castletownsend road the roads become quite challenging but highly scenic: tiny bumpy roads with […]
Two Kinsale Wells
A day in Kinsale; rather nice once the crowds have gone, to wander around the windy streets, admire the old buildings and enjoy a white pizza: no tomato sauce but pears, goat’s cheese and walnuts. The Abbey Well, Tobar na Mainistreache The first well goes under many names – Abbey Well, Friary Well, Lady’s Well, […]
A Saintly Quintet around Midleton
Another day in east Cork. Fuelled by an enormous breakfast and good night’s sleep at the delightful Wisteria House in Cloyne, we (travelling companions Robert and Finola of Roaringwater Journal) hit the back roads around Midleton. St John’s Well, Templeboden The next well was just a little way away in the townland of Templeboden and […]
Lady’s well, Ballycurrany
There are but two holy wells in this parish, one in Ballycrana and the other in Templeboden, both of which are very well kept. The people still visit them on the week preceding the twelfth of August and perform three visits around the well. We go to the one in Ballycrana which is in Mr […]
St Colmán’s Well, near Cloyne
We had several attempts at finding this well and were eventually directed towards a farm. The farmer was below tending sheep and waved us on up, telling us that we could drive all the way to the top of the hill where the well lay, not a bother. We drove a fair way up the […]