What is recorded here

Half a mile from the gate of Bredagh, a hidden well waits beneath the grass on the O'Kelly estate in Ticooly. The water may still move under the soil, feeding roots and memory while people forget the name. This is not a lost fact, but a living place that stopped answering because the question stopped being asked.

According to OS Letters (O'Flanagan 1927, Vol. 1, 239), there was a holy well called 'Tobarbriocain ... on the estate of Mr. O'Kelly of Ticooly, near 1/2 a mile from the gate of Bredagh'. Not located. The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Galway Vol. II - North Galway'. Compiled by Olive Alcock, Kathy de hÓra and Paul Gosling (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1999). Date of upload: 05 August 2010

Linked to St. Briocan, the well was traditionally associated with healing and pilgrimage. Local folklore suggests it was visited for cures related to eye ailments and general wellness, with customs including the use of nine coins as an offering.

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