St Brigid’s Well, Castlemagner

This has to be one of my favourite wells visited so far. We had had an energetic day searching out holy wells in North Cork and this was the last on the agenda. It is not easy to find and seems to be on the fold of several different OS maps but eventually, after much discussion and directions given in a Kanturk newsagent, we arrived at the farm of Laurence O Donoghue. He very kindly stopped what he was doing and took us down to the well, explaining the history and rituals connected with it as we went.

The path leads past his farmhouse, through a steep wooded area down towards the Ceatra stream, quite close to the old castle which gives the village its name.

It is an extraordinary place, fenced off and gated, with an array of small rickety benches inside. The stone wellhouse is beautifully made in a beehive shape, with what now looks like a little thatched roof but is in fact just undergrowth. A hawthorn tree sprouts from the top. An impressive limestone lintel is inscribed with the following:

Owen Egan of…….. knucknanufs

Erected this in HO……….. nour of God An…..

Bl ………….. Ad 1787 ……a

A cross has been inscribed in the centre and some of the words seem deliberately erased. On each side of the lintel are two striking carved figures. The figure on the left is compelling and enigmatic: a bald, naked figure holding up its arms, palms open, a slightly surprised but benign look on its face.

Crosses have been inscribed by countless pilgrims onto the stomach, the forehead and onto its open palms. The figure has been described variously as a Sile na gig and St Brigid. It doesn’t look explicit or fierce enough for a Sile but too naked for St Brigid. Siles could be part of the rounds at holy wells though, think of the little figure at St Gobnait’s in BallyvourneyI

I wonder if it might be depicting something else altogether. On visiting Lady’s Well in East Cork I was struck by the similarity of the pose of this sculpture of Christ crucified. Could this figure be something similar – the folds under its stomach not a vulva but a loin cloth? Just a thought! Having had another thought, both these figures could be described as being in an orant position with their hands raised skywards in an early form of prayer, so that may be their connection

On the other side is a figure in Roman armour, one hand on hip, the other seeming to point to his companion on the other side. He is well worn and described either as a Roman centurion or St Michael the Archangel.

An entry in the Schools’ Folklore Collection gives a different explanation again:

…the figure of the devil is carved out of a stone on the left side of the well and the figure of God on the right side of it .

In fact it seems possible that the naked figure may have come from an ancient church at Subulter, and then on to Castlemagner castle. The St Michael figure probably came from there too. The Magners were originally from Glamorgan in Wales, where St Michael was much venerated. In Irish Christianity he is also much admired and given the title Ard RÌ na nAingil – High King of the Angels. The Magners were also a Norman family and current thinking re siles is that they are of a similar period, often placed high up on castles or in churches though no one is exactly sure why. It seems likely that the two carvings were incorporated into the wellhouse when it was built but both have earlier dates and histories.

There are many intriguing and conflicting stories associated with this well. It may date back millennia and has associations with druidism and the ancient Celtic goddess Brigid, who has strong connections with water and fertility. She later became Christianised into the more acceptable but equally revered St Brigid.

In 1591 Castlemagner became a Protestant parish but Mass continued to be celebrated at the well until 1658 when a Captain William Bretridge became owner of the nearby castle. A former Cromwellian, he banned Mass but the priest and local population used an ingenious means to continue worshiping. The priest crossed the Ceatra River and offered Mass at the well while the people stood in the river – rivers being common property under the then English law. The Captain retaliated by blasting deep holes into the river to make it impassable and Mass was finally abandoned.

In 1704 a mass house was built at Coolavaleen for the local Catholic population which was dedicated to Our Lady. The well was also rededicated at this time and rounds were then paid in May rather than February.

The well was restored by Owen Egan of Knocknanuss in 1787. He was a stonemason but had eventually lost his sight. His brother was a cripple and one night dreamed that if he went to the well he would be cured. The blind brother carried the crippled brother, and the crippled brother gave instructions to the blind brother. They both drank from the water but only the blind brother was cured. Like many wells, this one was said to contain a trout and it was the cripple brother catching sight of the blessed fish that caused the cure. In thanks he built the wellhouse and inscribed the following: Owen Egan of Knocknanus erected this in honour of God and the Blessed Virgin Mary AD 1787. It seems that the words Blessed Virgin Mary were chiseled out by a local Protestant for the well still lay on Protestant lands and people remembered the hanging of a local priest only a few years earlier and didn’t want to cause trouble.

Laurence, the landowner, believes the whole site is about fertility. He explained that the figure on the left is a sile na gig, carved by Owen Egan who was a stone mason. The fact that this was done in the late eighteenth century could explain why it looks so different to earlier siles. He considers siles to be ancient fertility symbols and that she has long reigned over the water here, hence she is depicted as larger and more potent than the little figure on the right, symbolising the Roman Church.

This belief continues to the water which Laurence told me held a cure for infertility. He explained how a couple wishing to have children would visit the well. The man would scrape the crosses on the sile figure with a coin and collect the scrapings. which would be mixed with the holy well water. He would then drink the mixture, next giving it to the woman.

Laurence demonstrated the ritual. He took a small penknife and gently traced the crosses on St Brigid’s stomach and hands, catching the powder in his cup of well water. He recited prayers then drank the mixture.

The water is indeed beautifully fresh, clear, cold and percolating. It is also said to contain blessed trout, good luck to those who see him.

The water was said to be cure many ailments,as well as infertility. It could be applied to an afflicted part of the body, often using white linen strips, which were then left at the well.

The rounds were originally held on 1^st February, St Brigid’s Day but since the early 18th century, when the well was rededicated, have also been held in May. Laurence believes that Bealtaine, May, has always been the main focus of devotions. The well is also considered to be a Tobar-righ-an-domhnaigh, or Sunday well and rounds were also made here before Mass on a Sunday.

This evocative image shows how it looked in 1910, photographed by Colonel Grove White.

This entry from the Schools’ Folklore Collection gives a little more information about the pattern:

… The well is very nicely decorated with pictures and statues. There was a special traditional  prayer said at the well but it was lost. The prayers that are now said at the well are  a Decade of the Rosary and lots of other prayers. The visiting days are the Sundays of May and Good Friday. In former years there was a pattern day every May but owing to the drinking and fighting of the people it was given up….

It is surprising how often, once the religious devotions were complete, that the pattern day disintegrated into drinking and faction fighting:

Owing to faction fighting and excesses of the day the parish priest put an end to the pattern day.  on the last occasion of the pattern (after it being banned)  persons came as usual on the eve of the day and erected tents as usual for the sale of liquor. During the night, while the owners of the tents were asleep, a crowd of ‘bright boys’ collected in the graveyard near. They had horns, chains and anything that could make a pandemonium. They commenced to make a row about midnight and the owners of the tents thinking it was something supernatural fled and left all after them. Needless to say the boys enjoyed themselves and had a good time at their expense.

Today the well seems to be only visited by Laurence and his family, erudite professors of folklore, curious blow-ins and foreigners! It is a very powerful place though.

Edit: I visited the well again on St Brigid’s Day, 2022 and was once again warmly welcomed by Laurence.

A few more images from this visit:

Many thanks to Laurence O Donoghue for taking the time to show us the well and explain the history. The well is on private land and permission must be sought.

This is a very useful website for further information.

The location of this well can be found in the Gazetteer.