Holy well in Kilgobnet

No apparent trace remains of the holy well recorded by CKFC (1952) about 90m E of Kilgobnet medieval church (KE065-042001-), adjacent to a ceallúnach burial ground (KE065-043----). Cooke noted that a heap of stones, surmounted by a slab with an incised cross, marked the site of the well (1906, 12). The cross was formed by a vertical shaft transversed by six unevenly spaced grooves. Though not depicted in Cookes' illustration of it (ibid. P1.4, Fig. 3), Crawford records the letters IHS on this slab (1912, 237). The well was filled in sometime prior to 1938 (Harris 1939, 178), and the slab appears to have been moved to a 'circular cell' at St Gobnet's church nearby, where it cannot now be located. Rounds were formerly made at the well on February 11th, St Gobnet's Day, when a fair was also held in the nearby village. The above description is derived from A. O'Sullivan and J. Sheehan (compilers), 'The Iveragh peninsula: an archaeological survey of South Kerry'. Cork University Press (1996), no. 1075. In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload: 31 July 2013

Linked to an early Christian tradition, the holy well at Kilgobnet was associated with healing practices, likely connected to a local saint or spiritual figure, though no specific name is recorded. The site's proximity to a ceallúnach burial ground suggests its religious and ritual significance in the medieval period.