• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Holy Wells of Cork & Kerry

not all who wander are lost

  • Home
  • Blog
  • On Wells
    • A Few Statistics
    • The Water & the Cure
    • Saints & Sinners
    • Pilgrimage, Partying & Paying the Rounds
    • Sacred Trees
    • Blessed Fish
    • Feast Days (dates)
  • Gazetteer
    • Cork City
    • East Cork
    • North Cork
    • West Cork
    • Dingle Peninsula
    • Iveragh Peninsula & Valentia Island
    • North Kerry
    • South Kerry
    • Elsewhere
  • Contact me
  • Privacy Policy

statue

An unveiling: two new statues of St Gobnait revealed

14th February 2024 9 Comments

One of the extraordinary rituals still maintained on St Gobnait’s feast day, 11th February, involves a much worn thirteenth century oak statue, a depiction of the saint herself. It is only made available for veneration for two days a year, the feast day and Whitsunday, when it is placed in the church in Baile Bhúirne, […]

Filed Under: West Cork Tagged With: Baile Mhuirne Ballyvourney Bishop of Cloyne Dorothy Harris emagine Heritage Council John Richardson Ó hÉaluighthe O Herilys pattern day pilgrimage relic replica ribbons Richard Cox sculpture smallpox specialbranchcarvers St Gobnait St Gobnaits Measure statue Tomas Ghobtnan Whitsunday

Tobar Eoin Baiste, Cooliska

25th April 2022 8 Comments

St John’s Well, Tobar Eoin Baiste, Cooliska Still in County Limerick, today’s holy well is about seven kilometres southwest of Newcastle West in the townland of Cooliska : an Chúil Loiscthe, the burnt corner. It is large well right on the roadside, dominated by a sparkling white statue of the patron saint, St John the […]

Filed Under: Limerick Tagged With: baptism blessed fish blessed tree Cloncagh Cooliska Druids Eyes faction fighting Folklore Photographic Collection kneeprints Newcastle West pattern percolation pilgrimage Schools' Folklore Project St John the Baptist St Patrick statue trout wychelm

Cream Pies & Crubeens: Pattern Day in Ballyheigue

15th September 2019 11 Comments

The most important day in a holy well’s spiritual and social calendar was the pattern day – the day when the patron of the well was celebrated. Up until the early 1800s patterns days were common at most wells and were frequently boisterous affairs attended by literally hundreds of people. (See Pilgrimage, Partying & Paying […]

Filed Under: North Kerry Tagged With: Banna Strand Bishop of Kerry Blessed Virgin Mary cream pies crubeens Duchás Photographic Collection Eyes grotto Irish Times Kerry Mary Brenneman Mass North Kerry offerings pattern day quartz rounds Schools' Folklore Project Stations of the Cross statue trout Walter Brenneman

Tobar Mhíchíl, St Michael’s Well, Lixnaw

2nd May 2019 14 Comments

I suppose I must have visited nearly 400 holy wells over the last few years and some are still capable of surprise, none more so than this one in Lixnaw, North Kerry, dedicated to St Michael the Archangel: Tobar Mhíchíl. The Site The well is clearly signed off the R557 just before reaching the village […]

Filed Under: North Kerry Tagged With: Charles Dickens David Lynch diviner Eyes fish Kerry Lixnaw maggie sticks Muintir na Tire offerings pattern pilgrimage rag tree Rheumatism rosaries rounds Satan Schools' Folklore Project shrine smock frock St Michael statue The Kerryman thimble men thimblerig William Frith RA

Chalk & Cheese: two very different wells near Burnfort

4th September 2018 13 Comments

The last two wells in the latest North Cork exploration were like chalk and cheese, wonderful contrasts to show just how different holy wells can be. But first a diversion to Island Wedge tomb (CO042-056001) in the same townland as the first well. Island Wedge Tomb This took some finding – just a few miles […]

Filed Under: North Cork Tagged With: Burnfort Colonel Grove White Eyes Island Wedge Tomb Midsummer offerings pilgrimage rag tree rounds Schools' Folklore Project St John statue trout

Fursey, Friday & Sunday: well hunting around Banteer

3rd December 2017 10 Comments

Day 2 of the Banteer explorations and the the first well on today’s agenda was very close to where we were staying. St Fursey’s Well (or Forsin or Forsa or Fursa) seemed to lie just outside an old graveyard. We found the graveyard easily enough, right beside the road and very enticing it was too […]

Filed Under: North Cork Tagged With: Banteer BVM Colonel Grove White deer Eyes Fermoyle frog General Good Friday King of Sunday Mass Rock offerings rounds Schools' Folklore Project shrine St Fursey St Gobnait St Gobnait's Stone statue trout

  • Page 1
  • Page 2
  • Go to Next Page »

Primary Sidebar

Follow my blog by e-mail

Enter your email address to be told when I publish a new post. You can un-subscribe at any time.

Join 351 other subscribers.

Recent posts

Travelling hopefully around Tralee

A mysterious well at the end of the world – St Erc, Kerry Head

A fairy Fort, a foxy woman & an enigmatic stone: Meenvane, Schull

Ringing in the old & the new: a round up of explorations in 2024

Monthly Archive

Index of tags

tree fairy a Ribbonson

An alphabetical list of all the tags used on this site … → about Index of Tags

© 2025 Amanda Clarke

 

Loading Comments...