What is recorded here

Doire Leathan holds a small natural sea cave on the west side of Doonan Peninsula. A crevice inside the cave is still named as a holy well, giving the rough Atlantic edge a sudden shape of prayer. Water from the sea may have entered that narrow gap and returned changed in the minds of the people who used it. The cave does not need a grand legend because its small depth already suggests a place where human worship learned the lessons of the ocean.

A crevice in a small natural sea cave on the W side of Doonan Peninsula is known locally as a holy well. The above description was derived from the 'Archaeological Survey of County Donegal. A description of the field antiquities of the County from the Mesolithic Period to the 17th century.' Compiled by: Brian Lacey with Eamon Cody, Claire Cotter, Judy Cuppage, Noel Dunne, Vincent Hurley, Celie O'Rahilly, Paul Walsh and Seán Ó Nualláin (Lifford: Donegal County Council, 1983). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated. Date of upload: 22 September 2008

Linked to unspecified local traditions, the holy well in Doire Leathan is associated with coastal folklore and may have been a site of pre-Christian or early Christian ritual. Its location in a sea cave suggests a connection to natural sacred spaces revered for their healing or protective properties.

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