Holy well in Cronroe

Unlocated possible holy well within the grounds of Bel Air Hotel, today there are no surface remains of any bullaun stones or of a well in the vicinity of the hotel. The owner of the hotel has no knowledge of their location. In 1938 Liam Price visited the Bel Air Hotel at Cronroe and recorded (Corlett and Weaver 2002, 304-5) that he ‘found two granite blocks - a large one with a bullaun (WI025-043002-) about 13in. [0.33m] x 11in. [0.27m] and 4in. [0.1m] deep - in this large block there is another slight hollow, you could not call it a `bullaun', but it is like the beginning of one. In the smaller block there is a bullaun about 13in. [0.33m] in diameter, circular, 4in.[0.1m] deep. Both blocks are near a thorn tree, about 150yds ESE of the house. (The bullauns are bowl-shaped.) Near them is a well, neglected and rather dirty, and a little further away is a small artificial pond, also dirty. Mr Huband speaks of `several cavities'. I could only see the two blocks. Presumably the well is what he refers to as `the Priest's Well', but there is no wall between it and the stones’. Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien Date of upload: 16 November 2012