Holy well in Church Hill

According to Hogan (1880-83, 41-4), ‘The well of the cross, or as it is more popularly called the “Patron Well,” springs from under a small stone-roofed apse on the north side of the road, between the village [Cuffesgrange] and the church [KK023-036001-]; it is now a neglected pool filled with sludge, but within the memory of many it was a neatly enclosed spring of pure fresh water. The two “patrons” were still continued to be observed at Grange down to a few years since. I have been informed that in the early part of the present century “May Sunday” was a gala day in that little village’. Carrigan (1905, vol. 3, 391) also mentions the ‘holy well of Grange’ and locates it to being, ‘on the roadside, between Grange village and the chapel’. Compiled by: Jean Farrelly Date of upload: 6 September 2021

The holy well, known as the "Patron Well" or "Well of the Cross," is associated with Saint Patrick, reflecting the common link between early Christian saints and sacred water sites in Ireland. Locals traditionally visited the well for blessings and to seek cures for various ailments, particularly skin conditions and general ill health, often by drinking the water or making offerings.