What is recorded here

Rabbit Island in West Cork still carries the name Traig an Tobair, marking the hidden well where people once paid rounds. The water may have refreshed travellers or tested their faith, but the island has taken the exact hole back. What remains is a strand named after absence, preserving the shape of a ritual nobody can point to anymore.

'There is a holy well there (Rabbit island), where 'rounds' used to be paid in olden times, and a strand there is still called Traig an Tobair' (Burke 1914, 69); unable to locate. The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Cork. Volume 1: West Cork' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1992). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload/revision: 14 January 2009

The holy well on Rabbit Island was associated with traditional 'rounds' or pilgrimage rituals, and the surrounding area retained a name referencing the well, Traig an Tobair, indicating its historical spiritual significance. No specific saint or cure is recorded in connection with the site.

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