What is recorded here

Peggy's Well sits at the cliff's foot where the River Blackwater floods, marked by a kneeling stone and a mortared canopy. People regarded it as holy despite never naming the saint behind it. Water still flows beneath the kneeling stone, carrying whatever Peggy or others poured into it during centuries of quiet prayer.

At foot of cliff, on edge of flood plain of River Blackwater. Square well (0.7m sq.; D 0.78m) covered with canopy of mortared stone (H 1.1m); kneeling stone in front under which water flows from well. Repaired and replastered c. 1964. Known locally as 'Peggy's Well'. Possibly same well as that referred to by O'Shea (1947, 90) in grounds of Cregg Castle (14883) and which was 'regarded locally as holy' though 'no saint's name is connected with it. The well has a carefully built canopy of flagstones.' The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Cork. Volume 4: North Cork' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 2000). 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 is traditionally associated with cures for eye ailments and was a site of pilgrimage in early Christian Ireland. The presence of a kneeling stone suggests a long-standing devotional practice, with water from the well believed to have healing properties.

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