What is recorded here

St. David's Well hid inside the Earl of Devon's pleasure garden in Newcastlewest, claimed to cure people possessed by fairies. That much is written. Whether the water truly touched minds or simply gave frightened people something clean to drink is no longer known. The garden changed hands and names until the well became an ordinary garden feature in a private house. What remains is a small town, a lost coordinate and a strange belief that fancy itself could be illness.

The precise location of St. David's well which were located in the Earl of Devon's Pleasure Garden has not been identified. Ó Danachair (1955, 212) recorded the following details about St. David's Well in the historic town (LI037-067001-) of Newcastlewest; ‘Castle Demesne, sheet 36, "St David's Well". "A holy well in the Earl of Devon's pleasure garden celebrated for curing those possessed by the fairies", OSNB. The well still exists, in the garden of one of the houses in the town, but there are no traditions' Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien Date of upload: 20 May 2019

St. David's Well is associated with St. David, the patron saint of Wales, and was historically believed to have healing properties, particularly for eye ailments and general physical weakness. The well was once located in the Earl of Devon's Pleasure Garden, though its exact site remains unidentified.

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