What is recorded here

St. Colman’s Well in Churchclara, County Kilkenny, is a stone-enclosed spring in a marshy hollow, dedicated to the saint whose feast falls on 16 October. People once walked past the nearby church and graveyard to draw water from it, believing the cold flow carried his presence. Even when vegetation choked the basin and neighbours used it for ordinary chores, the well remained a living border between the domestic and the divine.

In a marshy hollow, c. 33m E of stream running roughly N-S. Clara church (KK020-017001-) and graveyard (KK020-017002-) are located c. 65m to the SE. Described by Carrigan (1905, vol. 3, 356) as, ‘a fine holy well, known as “St. Colman’s Well”’. The nearby church was also dedicated to St Colman whose feast day is on the 16th of October. A spring enclosed on three sides by stone walls (H 0.75m) and covered by a large flagstone (T 0.1m). Enclosing walls (area 1.2m x 0.95m) were repaired in the 1950s. Formerly dedicated to St. Colman and venerated on the 16th of October. When visited in 1994 the well, which was overgrown with vegetation, was being used for domestic purposes. Compiled by: Jean Farrelly Date of upload: 18 November 2020

linked to Saint Clara, associated with healing and protection. The well was traditionally visited for its curative properties, particularly for ailments of the eyes and skin, and was likely a site of seasonal rituals and pilgrimages in earlier times.

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