What is recorded here

Holy well in Ballinvoher (imokilly By., Cloyne Par.). The exact location has been lost, but the name and practice are recorded. People once walked rounds at the well, then stopped. The water may have marked a boundary between the ordinary townland and a deeper, less visible world. Forgetting the path did not remove the well; it withdrew the well from human memory.

According to Power (1940, 22) holy well in this townland known as Tobar Cinn a Dhuidhe. 'Rounds were once made there but they have been discontinued long since'. Exact location not known. The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Cork. Volume 2: East and South Cork' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1994). 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 Saint Gobnait, the well was traditionally associated with cures for eye ailments and was visited during springtime rituals. The name Tobar Cinn a Dhuidhe suggests a possible connection to a local figure or folk tradition, though the exact nature of the veneration has been lost over time.

The monument record does not grant public access. Check the route and ask the landowner before entering private land.