How nice to be out and about in County Kerry after a long enforced lockdown due to Covid-19. We spent a few days in Waterville on the Iveragh Peninsula mainly in pursuit of St Finán Cam. This elusive and complex saint is fascinating and may need a blog to himself at some point for he […]
St Finnian
In pursuit of two grumpy & enigmatic saints: a day on the Beara
Long ago St. Finnian and another Saint were out boating in the Kenmare River, and a British Man of War came along. The two Saints came into the land to preach to the people, and the owner of the Man of War stole their boat. When they came back to where they left it, they […]
Sun bright Fionán, jugfuls of whiskey & a raging priest
Back to Corca Dhuibhne, the Dingle Peninsula, and a stop off at Annascaul to find Tobar na Croise, Well of the Cross. Annascaul is a colourful and attractive little village, best know perhaps as being the home of Tom Crean of South Pole exploration fame. On his retirement from the Navy he and his wife […]
On Wells 3: Saints & Sinners
All holy wells hold a capacity for healing. As far as I can ascertain, there some subtle distinctions between them: a Blessed Well, Tobar Beannaithe, holds a cure – often for sore eye or warts while Tobar Slanán, a health giving well, as the name suggest, contains water that is good for you and may or […]
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 […]
St Ita & St Finnian: more exploring around Millstreet
North Cork is rich in holy wells and although we have made several fruitful exploratory visits already, there are still plenty of interesting sites to visit. We travelled with our friends Robert and Finola of Roaringwater Journal fame and treated ourselves to two nights in a large and spacious Airbnb just outside Banteer. St Ita’s […]