Not all holy wells are in remote and scenic spots, some are hidden in plain sight in towns and can take as much finding as their rural cousins. St John’s Well, Tobar Eoin, Dingle town I had looked for this well many times before. I knew the well itself was no longer visible and that […]
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In the Wake of St Finán
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 […]
Holy Fish, Faction Fighting & some Meandering
Who knew an innocent paragraph could lead down so many different paths and involve so much detective work and strange stories! Browsing through Sacred Waters, I came across an intriguing reference to a holy lake in County Cork that I had not yet come across: … the sacred lake of Loughadrine (Cork) which cured all […]
St Finbarr Revisited & some thoughts on conservation
I am finally back in Ireland having spent six months in New Zealand, four months longer than intended due to Covid-19! The virus continues to restrict movements so I decided to revisit two holy wells close to home and see how they were faring. Last time I visited was in 2016 and both wells, both […]
Two wells on the Kerry/Limerick border
Finding ourselves tootling along the Kerry/Limerick border it seemed rude not to pop over and check out St Mary’s Well in Athea. Mary’s Well, Tobermurry, Athea The well is on the side of the road, instantly recognisable by the three statues looming over the wall. However this is not it’s original position – it moved […]
The Good, the Mad and the Strange: a round up of 2019
A quick round up of some of the more intriguing wells visited in 2019. It’s been a busy year for I officially completed my research on the holy wells in County Cork: 310 wells visited and recorded, and then ventured forth into County Kerry. A long visit to New Zealand followed by a horrible bout […]