Francis Well

In rolling pastureland, at the bottom of an E-facing slope. This spring well, named ‘Francis’ Well’ in Gothic script on the 1838 and 1922 editions of the OS 6-inch maps, was surrounded by an irregularly shaped and much-collapsed roughly coursed mortared limestone wall (c. 4.5m N-S; max. 1.6m E-W) with a flight of five steps (L 2.1m; Wth 1.2m) at its S end. Two steps were visible at the N end but heavy overgrowth formed a canopy over most of this part of the well making it impossible to distinguish its N limit. A stone trough fed by a cut-stone chute was visible at SW. A curving arc of large limestone blocks, some collapsed, ran from NE through E to SE c. 4m from the well and a curving field wall adjoined it at W and continued NE. No votive offering were evident. (Korff and O’Connell 1985, 28) Compiled by: Galway Archaeological Survey, UCG Date of upload: 9 May 2023

Linked to Saint Francis, the well is traditionally associated with healing and protection, with local folklore suggesting that water from the well was used to cure ailments and ward off illness. The site’s long-standing veneration is evidenced by its consistent naming on early Ordnance Survey maps.