Motorway Madness: 9 possible wells off the M8

Back on the road again and heading down the east side of the M8 today – apologies if this is a bit of a ramble in all senses of the word! First a quick detour west to Ballyhooly to inspect St Brendan’s Well just glimpsed yesterday as the light and myself were fading. Ballyhooly by the way is delightful – right on the river, an imposing castle, an ancient graveyard and some interesting old shop fronts.

There’s also a very odd and interesting story as to how it got its name: Beal Átha h’Ubhla, Ford of the Apples:

St Mocue was driving in a  coach through Ballyhooly one day. On crossing the ford he saw a fine red apple floating in the river. He picked it up. His driver asked him for it for his teeth were watering for it. He refused him because he said there was a cure in it. The saint then went to Glanworth where a chief called Cusna Mac Caplean (?) lived. He had a daughter who had a dead hand. The saint cured it with the apple. It is said that her dead hand was better than her good hand ever after. She afterwards became a nun …. 

SFC: 385:0372

St Mocue is often named St Mochuda or St Carthage and I’ve met him before. But back to St Brendan.

St Brendan’s Well, Ballyhooly

The well is just out of the village in Castleblagh woods.  A large sign high up on a tree, partly obscured by branches, proclaimed the site.

It all looked very overgrown, the grasses and ferns almost waist high. I had to fetch the well kit and use my cutters just to reveal to it.

The well is a stone built rectangular basin cut into the bank, a jumble of stones around it protruding through the undergrowth.

The water was fresh and clear, if a bit leaf strewn. It was said to hold a cure for sore eyes and headaches. There seemed to be a runoff trickling down from the bank and over to the side of the well, also heavily overgrown.

It was sad to see it so neglected for once it had been much revered:

St Brendan’s Well is situated in Mr Murphy’s farm in Castlebla. There is a holly bush over it. Long ago people made rounds there to get cured of any disease they had but especially sore eyes. The people went to it in processions three times yearly – Good Friday, St Brendan’s Day, and Easter Sunday. They went there at dawn on Easter Sunday morning. There are fourteen stones around the well. When the people are making the rounds they say three rosaries on the stones and then they make the sign of the cross three times on a special stone with a smaller stone. They take three drinks of water out of the well. This is repeated three times. If they saw a frog in the well they would be cured. They always leave something there after them. On Easter Sunday long ago there was a stage there. When the people had their rounds made they had singing and dancing. There are no processions to it now but people visit it individually hoping to be cured. (377:0372)

It’s hard to imagine where the fourteen stones were for the undergrowth is dense all around it and I could find no evidence of any cross marked stones.

This photo taken in 1906 by Colonel Grove White shows just how extensive and well built the well was. The historic 25 inch map also shows some kind of oval defining the well area. The well is also sometimes referred to as St Bernard’s Well. The main pilgrimages were during Easter and St Brendan’s Day, May 16th.  Interesting to learn of the blessed frog, sadly not in residence when I visited.

Well of the hood, Tobar a Chaipín

Another well lay in the same townland, my next stop.  It is described in the Archaeological Inventory as being:

In uncultivated ground, on E side of road, adjacent to fulacht fiadh (10451). Recorded by Lee (1932, 24) as holy well called ‘Tobar a’Chaipín.’ Site completely obscured by large fallen tree.

The site remains totally obscured and the vegetation dense. I wandered up and down the boreen but there was no way I could get close to the location of the well. The hedgerows were full of bounty and colour though.

There was no sign of the fulacht fiadh either and the Mass Rock was also hard to distinguish. This had apparently once been placed nearer to the well and had been moved:

Recorded by Lee (1932, 24-5) as having ‘originally stood on the west side of the bothairín about 50 yards north of Tobar a’ Chaipín where Holy Mass was celebrated in Penal Days. There is a tradition locally that when the stone was removed bells used to be tolled at the old site every night. It is rather significant that the large wood immediately east of this is known as the Priest’s Wood’. Roche (1988, 25-6) also noted that stone was moved though he gives the original location as in the ‘Priest’s Wood’. (Archaeological Inventory).

Archaeological Survey, County Cork

Quite how you move a very large sandstone block, and why, I don’t know.

Peggy’s Well, Creggolympry 

This well sounded rather interesting from the Archaeological Survey entry:

At foot of cliff, on edge of flood plain of River Blackwater. Square well (0.7m sq.; D 0.78m) covered with canopy of mortared stone (H 1.1m); kneeling stone in front under which water flows from well. Repaired and replastered c. 1964. Known locally as ‘Peggy’s Well’. Possibly same well as that referred to by O’Shea (1947, 90) in grounds of Cregg Castle (14883) and which was ‘regarded locally as holy’ though ‘no saint’s name is connected with it. The well has a carefully built canopy of flagstones.

Frustratingly it lay behind the large and imposing walls of Castlehyde demesne, Michael Flatley’s estate – currently for sale by the way should you have a few million to spare! I did think about climbing over the gate  which looked do-able – sorry Michael – but sense and the thought of being caught on security camera prevailed.

The horses on other side of the very busy road, sleek creatures, were intrigued.

St Catherines Well, Clondulane

Finally onto the east side of the M8 in search of St Catherine’s Well. I arrived in Clondulane and inquired at what turned out to be the handsome Clondulane House. The owner was very helpful and took me to see a rather sorry looking well built into the wall at the side of the road. He told me that this was traditionally considered to be a holy well but unfortunately a digger had backed into it at some point and left it looking a bit forlorn. The well was dry due to drainage schemes elsewhere.

I wasn’t entirely convinced I had the right spot for the Inventory described the well as being in marshy ground and my GPS lead me to somewhere on the other side of the road. I parked by a very pretty ford and crossed the field – definitely marshy but there was no sign of any well. Maybe the well had moved voluntarily to its current position in the wall – North Cork wells do seem prone to move at the slightest offence!

Sundays Well, Tobereendoney, Corrin

In 1849 this well was described as:

… a beautiful limpid fountain, open and uncovered, save by three large old whitethorns one of which was thickly endowed with votive rags. It is called Sunday’s Well and rounds are performed at it every Sunday morning’. (Windele, 1898)

Windele, John, 1898

But by the time the Archaeological Survey team visited it in 2009 it was described as an: overgrown depression contains stagnant water.

My hopes were not high and the GPS lead me to an industrial looking area almost underneath the motorway. The roar of traffic was loud and I could see cars hurting up and down. I was also delighted to see the well – a distinct circle in an otherwise flat and ploughed field.

On closer inspection, the well was obviously recently constructed with no sign of any pool, limpid or stagnant.  Instead the stone walling went several metres underground.

The well was dry but nicely if plainly constructed.

St Peter Well, Corrin

Another well lay in the same townland but on the other side of the motorway, somewhere on Corrin Hill – clearly visible. This was St Peter’s Well and I wasn’t sure if there was anything there still or not. It was there in 1942 when Patrick Barry in his book The Banks of the Bride described it thus:

The bareness of the hillside is now emphasied by one small remaining clump of stunted trees about 200 yards from its eastern base. Under the scanty shelter of these trees is a grotto framed in a rude casing of moss-covered stones backed up against the hillside. The whole structure is crowned by a white canopy above which rises a simple cross, the whole enclosing a Holy Well dedicated to St Peter. Notwithstanding the difficulty of ascent, the Well is a place of frequent pilgrimage, a fact attested to by the well beaten path leading up to it from the roadway and by the abundance of votive offerings (ribbons, statues, medals etc) seen in the trunk and branches of the overhanging whitethorn tree.

The Archaeological Inventory suggested it had been destroyed in 1975 but I had seen a photo of it posted on the Fermoy Facebook page and it looked intriguing – still there plus cup.

I parked in the public car park for the Corrin Wood Walk, an official Irish Trail.  I ate a rather dispiriting falafel salad hastily brought en route, then went to look for the well.

The walk was beautiful through now dense forestry rather than scanty trees and although I rummaged around the tree roots and in the bracken could find no sign of the well. I wondered if it had dried up after the hot summer. It seemed strange that it should have been forgotten or neglected for it was obviously once much revered, and Corrin Hill is considered a sacred mountain, the path I was following once known as the Priest’s Road. I decided to take a diversion and follow the trail to the very top of the hill, all 222m, for the views from the top were meant to be stunning.  This is how Coillte describe the mountain:

Corrin Wood is a very historical site. The mound at the summit forms ‘Carn Thiernagh’ which dates back over 3000 years to the Bronze Age. The Druid Mogh Ruith is said to be buried here. Encircling the summit are the remains of a ring fort which dates to the early Iron Age. A large stone cross was erected on the peak in 1933. It makes an impressive appearance from the M8 when it is illuminated at night during Christmas and Easter celebrations. One can contemplate the Fourteen Stations of the Cross that can be found along the forest road to the summit. These represent the final events in the Passion of Christ.

The climb up was indeed invigorating and the Stations of the Cross imposing and oddly reassuring.

The cairn at the summit was huge and sprawling, and there are many myths and legends associated with this ancient site – Voices from the Dawn has the stories. The massive Christian cross dominates proceedings.The views were huge if misty, the hum of the motorway even reaching up here.

I was pleased to find a holy water stoup at the bottom of the cross – at least some sort of well had been discovered.*

St Valentine’s Well

Next stop St Valentine’s Well, again very close to the motorway – down an old road, presumably the original, running close by it. This area was once the site of a large paper manufacturing mill, employing many people. Over the years it fell into disrepair and now seems to have vanished.  The holy well lay nearby and was recorded in the 1930s:

… there was a holy well near the mill which is now called the mill well but it was called by the old people saint Valentine’s well. Mrs M Foley of Trantstown tells me that rounds were performed there about sixty years ago. A large tree with spreading branches once overshadowed the well but only the trunk and bare branches now remain. It does not bloom.

There was no sign of any well but the area was very damp area and there were black plastic pipes in evidence amongst the rosebay willowherb which suggested there was a spring in there somewhere.

St Valentine’s feast day is of course the 14th February. And here’s an interesting fact -a shrine containing some of the remains of St Valentine can be found in Whitefriars Church, Dublin.

Ballinbrittig Wells

The last two wells of the day were both in the townland of Ballingbrittig. Exhaustion was now setting in and quite frankly I was going off holy wells! First stop Colman’s Well, site of. There was a mighty wall with a column of nettles and brambles sprouting from the top – the well was reputedly on the other side. I managed to scramble to the top to have a look over, got severely stung, could see nothing on the other side except for a steep drop and almost lost the will to live.

The final well, was down a long gated boreen – an attractive house at the end with many signs of life but no one actually at home. The well sounded interesting:

In grove, on break in S-facing slope. Stone-faced well; cross of quartz pebbles in wall. According to Power (1923, 191), ‘Forty years ago “rounds” were quite frequent here.

but lay across a couple of fields. This felt like serious trespass so I fixed a note to my car window – that would do it!

The going across the field was tough and of course the grove lay at the bottom of a steep slope now dense and impenetrable. I conceded defeat.

Back to my airbnb in Glanmire where my lovely hosts Jerome and Cynthia provided an enormous pot of tea and homemade bakewell tarts – so welcome! Knowing that I was researching holy wells they had also enlisted the help of a local expert – who was on his way! I availed of several bakewells! Quite an adventure followed and that will be recorded in the next blog!

*I have since been contacted by Frank O Sullivan who kindly visited the well and took some photos (October 2020). The well looks in good condition, full of clear water and statues amongst the bracken show it it is still active.

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

Many thanks to Frank O Sullivan for visiting St Peter’s Well and taking photos