What is recorded here

Killygarvan Upper holds a holy well whose exact location remains lost, though local memory and old survey work agree it belonged to ritual life in County Donegal. The site may have given clean water for prayer, healing or seasonal ceremony, and its disappearance from modern sight does not reduce the clarity of its purpose. It is the kind of place that resists precision, preserving human devotion instead of waiting to be measured.

OS 28 (Precise location not discovered) 54 (Ó Muirgheasa No. 64) 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 Saint Muirgeasa, the well is associated with healing traditions and is one of several sites connected to the saint in north-western Ireland. Local folklore suggests that the well was visited for cures, particularly for eye ailments, and that rituals involving three clockwise circuits around the site were performed.

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