What is recorded here

Rossdama held a holy well shaded by an oak called the Blessed Tree, where pilgrims walked on the Feast of St. John the Baptist and tied cloth ribbons to its branches. The practice continued until about fifty years before Holahan wrote in 1883, suggesting generations of local faith sustained the site without formal recognition. The well itself has vanished from modern description, leaving only the tree’s name and the faint image of hands tying cloth in a rural landscape that no longer marks the water.

Holahan (1883, 83) mentions that, 'In Rossdama, within less than a mile [c. 1.6km] of Bridget's Well [KK022-037----], is a "holy well," over which grew an oak tree called "the Blessed Tree." Pilgrimages were made at this well on the Feast of St. John the Baptist, until about fifty years ago. The visitors to the well usually left on the tree pieces of cloth as votive offerings'. Neither holy well is indicated on the 1st (1839) ed. OS 6-inch map or the 1900 revision. The holy well in Rossadama is likely to be in the western portion of the townland neighbouring Toberbreedia townland, though the precise location of the holy well is unknown. Compiled by: Jean Farrelly Date of upload: 8 July 2020

The holy well in Rossdama is associated with Saint Brigid and was linked to pilgrimages, likely for healing or spiritual purposes. The nearby "Blessed Tree," an oak, may have been venerated as a sacred site, reflecting the blending of pre-Christian and Christian traditions in early Irish worship.

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