What is recorded here

Holy Well stood north of Inishleena abbey at the foot of a rock cliff, enclosed in a small mortared sandstone and red brick canopy before the Lee Valley Hydro-electric Scheme flooded the valley. It was regarded as a holy well traditionally associated with the abbey, a quiet ritual place where water rose beneath a cliff and people came for grace, healing or remembrance. The scheme erased the visible well, but the story remains: a small sacred chamber at the edge of water, now hidden beneath the lake it once bordered.

Recorded by Fahy (1957b, 65) prior to flooding by Lee Valley Hydro-electric Scheme. Well stood to N of Inishleena abbey (CO072-044002-), at foot of rock cliff and was traditionally associated with abbey and regarded as a holy well. It was enclosed within a canopy of mortared sandstone-rubble and red brick (int. H 3ft 5in; 2ft 8in x 4ft 6in). The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Cork. Volume 3: Mid Cork' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1997). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload/revision: 14 January 2009

linked to Saint Gobnait, traditionally associated with healing and beekeeping; the well was likely used for ritual washing and was considered to have curative properties, particularly for ailments of the eyes and skin. Its connection to Inishleena Abbey suggests a monastic tradition of pilgrimage and devotion.

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