Tobar Manacháin agus an Madra

I’m back in the Gaeltacht having finished an intense but rewarding week on an Irish language immersion course in Baile an Fheirtéaraigh, Corca Dhuibhne;  Ballyferriter, Dingle Peninsula. (There’ll be a lot of Irish in this blog, hopefully mainly spelled correctly, but it seems only right to give names in Irish first). The course was very tough indeed but there were also a few opportunities for well hunting. A chance encounter in Penny’s Pottery (highly recommended for a cuppa as well as the pottery) and we got into conversation with a local man who directed us to Teampall Geal – the bright church, so named because of the whiteness of the stone apparently. It’s also known as Teampall Mhanacháin after it’s patron saint St Manchán – a very local chap who may have had two other saintly brothers: St Fiontan of Kilfountain and St Faolan of Killelane.

We followed instructions and arrived at Teampall Geal, where we were met by a madly bouncy and enthusiastic dog, thrilled to take visitors on an exploration.

What a rich discovery it turned out to be: an early monastic site including an oratory, Ogham stone, cross inscribed stones, a souterrain and a holy well, all dedicated to St Manchán. However, I was unprepared and what I assumed was the holy well later turned out to be a souterrain. A revisit was necessary and the fact that I have been twice should explain the contrasting weather conditions in the photographs!

Teampall Mhanacháin nó an Teampall Geal, St Manchán’s Church or the Bright Church

On the second visit, we again wend our way up the myriad small roads above Fionntrá, Ventry, eventually leaving the road and going down a farm track, an attractive sign in the wall showing we were in the right direction.

We had been told that the farmer was failte romhat, very welcoming, so parked with confidence, and who should be there to greet us but the bouncy dog. Still delighted, he lead me up the boreen which skirted the fields, stopping thoughtfully at every point of interest to make sure I was paying full attention and missing nothing.

Before exploring we, the dog and I, admired the views, sumptuous on a day like this, Ventry Bay stretching out before us and possibly a hint of the Skelligs in the far distance.

And behind the solid presences of Leataoibh Mór, Lateeve Mor, to the west and the holy mountain Cnoc Bréannáin, Mount Brandon, to the east.

What is remarkable is how snugly the remains of the early Christian site fit into the natural amphitheatre of the hillside, looking out on all the splendour.

The oratory

The first thing of interest is the oratory, a small church. It stands on a man-made platform, its drystone walls still impressive though at some point they have been restored and the finial replaced on the west end. A tiny lintelled doorway is the only access point. Like the famous Gallarus Oratory, it has a distinctive upturned-boat shape, its walls corbel-vaulted: a method where stones were gradually overlapped so that each course projected slightly inwards until the walls finally met.

Unlike Gallarus you may have this wonderful spot entirely to yourself –  apart from a dog.

The Ogham stone

In front of the oratory is a large standing stone, protected from cattle and sheep by circular bands of metal. This is said to mark the burial place of the founder, St Manchán.

It has an inscribed cross on each side and the side facing the oratory has an Ogham inscription  running down the centre which has been interpreted as QENILOCI MAQI MAQI AINIA MUC… meaning Qeniloci, the son of the son of Ainia the son of…

Nearby is a small burial ground, the most striking grave being marked with two cross slabs, both inscribed with a cross in a circle. Unbaptised children were still being buried in the graveyard up until the nineteenth century.

Poll na Sagart

Nearby is the souterrain or Poll na Sagart, which I initially thought was the holy well – though I did wonder how on earth water was accessed. Poll na Sagart means Priest’s Hole, perhaps a referral to the site being used during Penal Times. The souterrain is in fact much older and although it is now inaccessible contains three drystone chambers.

It was of great interest to dogs too.

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Tobar Manacháin, St Manchán’s Well

So where was the well?  I had missed it on the first visit, but armed with my GPS I was more prepared the second time. It lies 150m south of the main site, now distinguished by a circular clump of bog grass complete with a smattering of stones, some of them quite large.

The well once had an earthen bank surrounding it and was the venue for popular pattern days on Easter Sunday and Christmas Day. Whoever arrived first at the well on Easter Sunday hoped to see a small fish – a sign that they would be cured or their prayers answered. The water was considered especially good for for backache, earache and toothache. WG Wood Martin includes a quote from an antiquary, giving  a little more information about the fish and cures:

There is not a better well in Munster to give rounds at, sure, there is a salmon and an eel in it, and whoever has the luck to get a look at them, may be sure that they have the benefit of their rounds.

WG Wood Martin, Elder Faiths of Ireland, a folklore sketch, 1901

He also describe show the water was good for fairy strokes.

The rounds began at the well and nine circuits were required, each time reciting a Decade of the Rosary. Pilgrims then continued up to the oratory where seven rounds were made, followed by a visit to the cross-inscribed grave, finally doing five circuits at Poll na Sagart. A small coin or offering might be dropped into the Poll.

The well is now in a rather sorry state, a modern concrete tank replacing the original structure. Once, when stones were taken from the well to repair a fence, they were found next morning covered in blood. The water is still flowing from the spring and the area is very damp. Dogs found this interesting too.

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As I was finishing my exploration, I was lucky enough to meet Michael Toose MacGearailt, the landowner, who told me that a pattern day is still held here on Easter Sunday. Mass is held at 6am and Toose confirmed that the house would be full afterwards for welcoming cups of tea. An article in the Irish Independent reported 200 people attending in 2011. The picture below shows a very well attended Mass at 6am on April 1st 2018.

The well is also visited on St John’s Eve , 23rd June. Gail Tangney kindly sent some more information:

Everyone gathers and is given a glass of poitín made from the well water, there are bags of sticks and you take a stick and follow Toots as he does a decade of the rosary around the well. You carry you stick then up to the top of the field where the Church, Ogham Stene and souterrain are and you throw your stick on the fire. The stick represents your sins and throwing them on the fire absolves you. You stay up at the top field until around 10 eating goodies and drinking and singing, then it its down the field to Toots house to continue the event into the early hours.

This video from 2017 shows the rounding of the well. The pilgrims then move up the hill towards the church.

The stikcs are then thrown into the bonfire

Then it’s back to Toose’s house for some craic!

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What a wonderful community occasion. Many thanks to Gail Tangney for the additional information, photos and videos.

And a few more images from St John’s Eve 2021, thanks again to Gail.

Toberbreeda, St Bridget’s Well

Just over a 200 metres away to the south there once was another holy well –Toberbreeda, St Bridget’s Well. I asked Toose if he knew of the well he said he  didn’t though he explained he had only been in the area for 50 years!  There is a short mention of it in the Schools’ Folklore Collection:

Tá tobar Naomh Brighid i bparóiste an Fhirthéaraig idir baile an Challa agus baile Agaitse [Eaglaise?]. Do baisteadh é do Naomh Brighid. Tugtar an turas ann lá le Brighde, mar leigheas ar thinneas droma, tá mórán bláthanna beaga ag fás in aice an tobair.

SFC:577-579:0423

This has kindly been translated for me as:

St Bridget’s well is in the parish of Ballyferriter, between Baile an Calaidh and Baile an Eaglais. St Brigid was baptised there (?). You do the rounds there on St Brigid’s Day, for a cure for backache. There are many small flowers growing beside the well.

The archaeological Inventory refers to it as a small spring and shallow pool at the NW corner of a sluice reservoir. It is clearly marked as Toberbreeda on the 6 in historic map (1829-41) but as sluice reservoir on the Cassini 6 inch map (1940s). Toose knew of the reservoir and the GPS lead me full circle back down the lane to the attractive stone seat.

I looked behind the seat and could see no well but could hear water. There’s one other piece of information – precise but not earth shattering – which records that the well dried up for 24 hours in 1834 after clothes were reputedly washed in it! (Ordnance Survey Notes, recorded in The Holy Wells of Corkaguiney, Ó Danachair). And a rare photograph survives, now part of the Folklore Photographic Collection. Unfortunately there is no date or photographer credited but it shows the impressive size of the well.

A little further away another seat and memorial has been made to commemorate a recently deceased local man. I wondered if the cross inscribed stone incorporated in the seat was something older and connected to the two wells, the marks made by pilgrims? Any information would be gratefully received.*

Another chance encounter later lead me Áine Ó Dubhshláine, owner of the delightful Tig Áine (great food and astonishing views) who is also fascinated by holy wells. She and a small group of fellow enthusiasts are also attempting to record all holy wells in Corca Dhuibhne – there are at least 60. They are endeavouring to interview and record as many local people as possible who have memories or interest in the wells and this should prove to be an incredibly important resource when finished. Áine is also an artist and she has painted many of the wells. I brought a couple of prints and especially loved this one of St Manchán’s Well, She admitted it was an imagining but I think she has captured the essence of the place and the importance of the spring in the sacred landscape. The bird of prey was real though – a hen harrier.

*I have since been informed that the cross is new and part of the memorial bench.

Many thanks to MIchael Toose MacGearailt for his information, and Ainé Ó Dubhshláine for the sharing of her wisdom and enthusiasm. Also to Finola Finlay for her translation skills. And to the bouncy dog.

Thanks to Gail Tangney for photos and videos relating to Easter Sunday and St John’s Eve.

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