There are 19 wells dedicated to the patron saint in County Limerick but whether he actually set foot here is debatable. I rather hope he did for his presence is everywhere. He left his footprints at Ballyelan; handprints at Ballingary; the print of his back on a tree at Knockainey and saintly kneeprints at Cloncagh […]
St Patrick
St Ben’s Day: Tullylease revisited
I have been invited to give a talk to Thomond Historical Society in March and thought I ought to have a few more Limerick wells under my belt and so planned a speed well trip! On the way up a spot of serendipity for Nicholas invited me to the Well Day in Tullylease, which was […]
The curious, the scenic and the challenging – a 2023 round up
It’s been a busy year for holy well work and the main excitement was the publication of my book Holy Wells of County Cork. This was kindly launched by Gary Branigan, author of Ancient and Holy Wells of Dublin and was hosted by the Working Artist Studios, Ballydehob. The book of course took much longer […]
Sister, Wife, Mother, Saint: St Darerca of Valentia
St Darerca’s Well, also known as Sunday’s Well, Tobar Rí an Domhnaigh, is situated on scenic Valentia Island in Kerry. I had come across this attractive image taken in 1955 and hoped that it might still remain but two previous searches had been fruitless. This time I was determined to track it down. Having already […]
Views, folklore & a lot of green: St Patrick’s Well, Knockpatrick, Limerick
Close to the sea-drenched well at Barrigone is another well, a very different one, this one 572m above sea level and one of several interconnected monuments. St Patrick’s Well, Knockpatrick The site is gated but clearly signed and there is public access. We decided to go to the summit first and and followed the roughly […]
St Kyren & St Molua, two holy wells near Ardagh
Two contrasting wells today, one recently restored, the other quietly being left to its own devices in woodland. First we went in search of St Molua, patron saint of Ardagh – yes, the place where the astonishing chalice was discovered in 1868. All was very quiet as we parked in the village. On inquiring about […]