What is recorded here

Holy Well in County Cork, Ireland is a low rectangular cairn with two shallow hollows on its surface. People traditionally brought cattle there to be cured, while the circular enclosure still marks the place as set apart. The well may have given clean water, quiet hope or relief to exhausted animals, and the cairn may have shaped the ritual around that promise.

In circular enclosure (CO115-01501-). Low rectangular-shaped cairn (L 3.2m; Wth 2.2m) with two hollows (diam. 0.8m; D 0.45m) in its surface. Tradition of cures for cattle (O'Shea and Crowley 1972, 301). The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Cork. Volume 1: West Cork' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1992). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload/revision: 14 January 2009 Images provided by and copyright of Amanda Clarke 2016-2022 https://holywellscorkandkerry.com/

Linked to a tradition of cures for cattle, the well is associated with rural folk practices aimed at ensuring the health and fertility of livestock. The site's circular enclosure and cairn suggest a prehistoric origin, later possibly incorporated into Christian or folkloric traditions.

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