What is recorded here

Holy Wells in County Cork are two shallow basins cut into bedrock on the north face of a rock outcrop, separated by barely twenty centimetres and marked with three incised crosses. Locally called St Lachtaín's well, the site attracted solemn pilgrimage on March 19th, while quartzite pebbles and votive offerings still cluster around its edges. People may have knelt at that cold stone for centuries, asking for clarity or relief, because even a small well can hold more life than a grand palace.

On N face of rock outcrop. Two wells, c. 0.2m apart, cut into bedrock. E well (0.75m x 0.55m; D 0.45m) lies 0.6m below top surface of outcrop; W well (0.85m x 0.6m; D 0.4m) at top surface. Two shelves to E carry votive offerings. Three crosses incised on stone between wells; quartzite pebbles around edges. Locally known as "St Lachtaín's well". According to Murphy (1897, 280), St Lachtaín's festival, which occurs on the19th of March, 'used be observed with great solemnity and with a pilgrimage to his....wells in the parish'. 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 Images provided by and copyright of Amanda Clarke 2016-2022 https://holywellscorkandkerry.com/

Linked to Saint Eunan (Eidhneach), a 7th-century Irish monk and founder of the monastery at Bangor, the wells are associated with healing traditions and may have been used for ritual washing or as sites of pilgrimage. Votive offerings found nearby suggest a long history of devotion and belief in the wells' curative powers.

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