What is recorded here
Holy well in Tallaght,oldbawn stood beside the River Dodder as a curative chapel well, praised for easing headaches and indigestion. Tradition also claimed a blessed trout lived there until the well was desecrated, perhaps by a farmer named Ledwich. The water may have tasted of rain, mineral stone and temple air, while the trout moved like a living guardian through the green dark.
The Ordnance Survey Letters described a 'Chapel Well', located near Tallaght on the brink of the River Dodder (Herity 2001, 36). Tradition records that it was a curative well. The waters were believed to cure headaches and indigestion. Daly (1957, 22) recorded that; 'the Chapel Well, reputed to cure headaches and indigestion. This well had a blessed trout, which was in it up to the time of the well's desecration. One wonders if this was the well destroyed by farmer Ledwich'. The precise location of the Chapel Well in the townland of Oldbawn, parish of Tallaght, has not been identified.
Compiled by: Geraldine Stout
Revised by: Caimin O'Brien
Date of revised upload: 20 April 2023
This holy well in Tallaght is associated with curative traditions, particularly for the treatment of headaches. It was known as Chapel Well and was located near the River Dodder, with historical references noting its sacred and healing significance.
The monument record does not grant public access. Check the route and ask the landowner before entering private land.
- What survives
- Recorded monument
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