Holy Well

A stone-built, flag-covered well with a small basinstone .5m long and 0.25m wide set beside it. It is known as an 'Angelus Well' and is situated at the base of a small grassy knoll. Described by Ó Muirgheasa in 1936 as 'Tobar na n-Aingeal, or "The Well of the Angels", is in Tondubh, near Ballykerrigan. Stations are still made there on May Eve, which suggests a pagan origin. There is a tradition that a priest hunted in the penal days made for this well, and on reaching it began to make the Stations to the angels. Soon he was enveloped in a thick fog, which utterly baffled his pursuers' (Ó Muirgheasa 1936, 155). (Ó Muirgheasa No. 77) The above description was derived from the 'Archaeological Survey of County Donegal. A description of the field antiquities of the County from the Mesolithic Period to the 17th century.' Compiled by: Brian Lacey with Eamon Cody, Claire Cotter, Judy Cuppage, Noel Dunne, Vincent Hurley, Celie O'Rahilly, Paul Walsh and Seán Ó Nualláin (Lifford: Donegal County Council, 1983). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated. Compiled by Caimin O'Brien Date of upload/revision: 04 November 2011

Linked to the tradition of the Angelus prayer, this well is associated with Saint Michael or another celestial being, as was common with "Angelus Wells" in Ireland, often used as sites for prayer and pilgrimage. Such wells were typically visited at dawn or dusk, times traditionally connected to the recitation of the Angelus.