Three wells dedicated to St Gobnait, Baile Mhúirne

The 11th February is St Gobnait’s Day, the feast day of a very popular saint in West Cork, one who still attracts many pilgrims to her shrine in Baile Mhúirne, (Ballyvourney. I decided to come and pay my respects too and was impressed and moved by this extraordinary experience.

The Rounds, Turas Ghobntan
The site is large and complex, just outside the town in an ancient graveyard which includes the remains of two churches (one early and in ruins, and the other a Church of Ireland building, intact but unused); the burial place of the saint, two holy wells and some interesting artefacts.

The pilgrimage begins in front of the statue of St Gobnait, the work of the renowned Cork sculptor Seamus Murphy, and takes in five stations with 11 stopping points. At each station the pilgrim recites seven Our Fathers, seven Hail Marys and seven Glorias.

By the time I arrived, many people were already there, quietly circumambulating the site, immersed in their own thoughts and prayers.

The rounds continue around the site, pilgrims walking in a clockwise direction. After visiting the second station, St Gobnait’s House, prayers are said at the first well where a drink of water is taken. The well is small, tucked into the ground, protected by stone slabs and accessible by two steps. The water is fresh and cold.

Edit: July 2022, I was told that use of this well is being discouraged after a dog was seen drinking from it. Sand was added to the well and cups are no longer available.

Other unique stations include a tiny carving of a Sile na gig high above a window in the old church, and an agate ball embedded in the wall known as the bulla. 

Both of these are traditionally stroked as part of the turas or round.

Perhaps the most important station is the shrine of St Gobnait, her reputed burial place. If people had no time to do the full round, all paid their respects here. It is covered in offerings – statues, rosaries, coins, and in front of it are two bullauns.

St Gobnait’s Wells,Tobar Ghobnatan
The final station lies just outside the main site, a pleasant walk down a leafy lane to St Gobnait’s Well, Tobar Ghobnatan. This has recently been tidied up with a smart new entrance gate and a large sign advertising its presence.

What a beautiful place though, right on the edge of the river and nestling amongst mature trees. The well is sturdily constructed with steps down to the basin with stone seating arranged around it.

A jumble of plastic bottles were available for those who wanted to take the water home with them and a neat row of cups and glasses were lined up on top of the well.

The water is considered exceptionally pure with healing qualities as these two entries from the Schools’ Folklore collection explain:

A certain girl being in the district of Ballyvourney suffered from an incurable disease. All during her hours of agony she asked to be buried in St. Gobnait’s Churchyard. It happened that the disease she suffered from did not prevent her from performing a novena of Rounds to St. Gobnait, consisting of twenty one rounds, fasting in the morning, in honour of the saint. When her novena was finished she visited the Holy Well and emptied the water out of it. It filled again, and there became visible at the bottom of the well a white fish! This was a sure sign that her request was granted, and she returned home cured. (Schools Folklore Collection 258:0342)

At a recent visit to the well on St Gobnait’s feast day, 11th February 2022 I was fascinated to hear how a novena is still performed. It was described thus:

The vigil is performed for nine consecutive days or nights or a mix of both whichever suits people. It’s a set number of different prayers mostly in a number of sevens eg 7 our fathers, 7 hail Mary’s, 7 glorys. It takes about an hour and a quarter to do the vigil each day. On the last night following the vigil the well is emptied and the water just discarded. The new water coming in to the well is what is used to bless the sick person.

Pilgrim

It was especially to hear how the well is still emptied and that the new water coming in is considered particularly potent. This vigil had been held for a sick baby and on the last night over 40 people had been in attendance. Another pilgrim told me that he had performed a novena after his wife had become ill with cancer. She recovered and ever year he came to pay his respects to St Gobnait and the well.

The description here still rings true, the water is icy cold and crystal clear and only the foolish would try to boil it:

…Reference should probably have been made before now to the holy well of Saint Gobnait, also at Gortnatubrid, and famed for its healing water, which possesses the powers of remaining fresh for an unlimited period when bottled. The miraculous cures too varied to cite here. The water is of an ice-cold and refreshing nature, and the supply to the well has never been known to fail A humorous legend is told of a Protestant chieftain – or probably a minister who lived at Gortnatubrid at a time when no water for household purposes could be procured anywhere in the neighbourhood with the sole exception of the holy well of St Gobnait. He ordered that a supply of this water should be procured but the order was not obeyed. In a rage he snatched a can and brought a supply which he placed in a pot and hung over the fire to boil. Although under the influence of much heat the water remained quite cold while the minister awaited his long-overdue meal. Finally his patience being exhausted he poured the water into another vessel and declared he would wash his feet in it. Witness his consternation and suffering when he touched the water his feet were immediately scalded and blistered as from a boiling heat.

SFC:154/155:0341

This is one of the few wells where I have actually drunk the water and it was delicious. Whilst I was there a woman came down with her grandson. She too drank two cupfuls of water with gusto and declared the water good. I fully agreed. Later another pilgrim arrived to pay his respects.

Standing guardian over the well is a huge tree, liberally adorned with rags, ribbons, crucifixes and other offerings.

A powerful presence.

Bees & Deer
Everywhere  around the site and in Ballyvourney itself, you  can’t help but notice reference to deer and bees. The story goes that St Gobnait was born on the Aran Islands and an angel appeared and told her to travel until she found nine white deer grazing together, and there she would find her resurrection. After much travelling she finally spotted the deer in Ballyvourney. Here she built a religious establishment for women. She became famous for her healing and for many miracles. One miracle concerned cattle rustlers who were trying to steal all the local cattle. She sent a swarm of bees after them; the rustlers were blinded and the cattle restored. Naturally, she’s patron saint of beekeepers.

The wooden statue

There’s one final extraordinary ritual to be paid on a day full of interest and tradition and that is to visit a statue and collect some ribbons! Once a year a small wooden statue depicting St Gobnait is brought out of safe keeping and displayed in the Catholic church in the town. Supposedly dating from the the 13th century and made of oak, it is now much worn but still exudes potency. She is laid on a table on a crisp white cloth and people queue to visit her.

I watched carefully what to do. First you must buy your ribbons, each cut to the length of the statue (Tomas Gobnatan, or Gobnait’s Measure) – available in the church.

You wait your turn then once at the statue wind the ribbons around her neck, around her body, lengthwise on her body and  then some people scrunched the ribbons up and placed them over her heart. Finally St Abbey, as I heard her referred to, is kissed or embraced. (Abigail or Abbey is the anglicised form of Gobnait).

The ribbons are taken home and will protect you from illness over the coming year.

It seems the statue was once considered effective against smallpox for this prayer was regularly said, originally in Irish:
O Gobnait, bring us safely through the coming year, and save us from every harm and infirmity especially smallpox.
It looked as though many people still thought she was very potent. She seemed much loved and respected, almost like a much adored member of the family. I followed suit and have my ribbons in safe keeping.

Kilgobnet holy well

I then decided to visit the well and shrine of Gobnait’s supposed brother, St Abán, found just outside the village but you’ll have to wait for this, he deserves his own blog entry! I did travel a little further out of Ballyvourney to Kilgobnet and visited a spot where St Gobnait is said to have prayed. This small walled enclosure right on the side of the road, now surrounded by fir trees is another extraordinary place. It seems it may have originally been a cillín (unconsecrated children’s’ burial ground) for there were many stone markers and interesting bumps and contours. Most extraordinary of all was the little well: a large ballaun stone filled with water, an odd milky blue.

Quartz stones are carefully laid around it, a few cups thoughtfully provided, and a small statue of the Infant of Prague watches proceedings. There is also a large circular stone just above the well – could this be associated as a wishing or cursing stone?  A tiny tree growing up behind it gives a magical quality. Originally this formed part of the rounds on St Gobnait’s Feast Day but I don’t know how many other visitors it was going to get today.

A postscript to Kilgobnet. I have just had supper with a friend from the area who confirmed that the site is a cillín, a burial place for the unbaptized, and one held with special reverence as it is considered to be consecrated ground having had St Gobnait’s blessing and protection.

A few extra images of a very snowy St Gobnait’s Day 2018

And a few more on a recent visit in May 2019

 

And more from 2022, the first pattern since the Covid pandemic.

 Others have  written excellent accounts of the pilgrimage Here are two accounts I would recommend:

Pilgrimage in Medieval Ireland   Roaringwater Journal

The location of these wells can be found in the Gazetteer.