What is recorded here

Ducks Well hides beneath dense overgrowth in County Cork, preserving the story of Mardhol, a druid saved from a deadly Awbeg River flood when he caught the leg of a huge drake. The local name Tubber Lughin translates as Well of the Duck, linking the water to that sudden animal intervention rather than ordinary geography. An eighteenth-century stone duck once stood above the well beside a swan and drinking vessels carved by James Barre in 1746, turning a dangerous river moment into a place where people drank, remembered and made the unusual familiar.

Not marked on 1842 OS 6-inch map. Now inaccessible due to dense overgrowth. Well was locally known as 'Tubber Lughin' (Jones 1902, 238); translated by O'Reilly (1987, 131) to mean 'Well of the Duck'. Location and name derived from story of Mardhol, the druid who was being swept down the Awbeg River during a flood, he was saved at this spot by catching the leg of a huge drake. According to Grove White (1905-25, vol. 1, 162), masonry buttress built over well, in 18th century, 'surmounted by duck, carved in stone'; also here, a swan and drinking vessels carved in stone with inscription 'James Barre 1746' (ibid.). The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Cork. Volume 4: North Cork' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 2000). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload/revision: 14 January 2009

Linked to a local tradition involving ducks, possibly connected to fertility or water-related folklore. The name 'Tubber Lughin' may reflect an ancient Gaelic custom or veneration of a water spirit.

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