Why this matters
Linked to St. Kierán, this holy well is associated with cures for skin ailments and general wellness. Local tradition holds that the well’s waters were once used in a ritual involving nine rounds of prayer before drawing water for healing.
What is recorded here
Situated on a fairly level landscape and on the NW side of the road from Kilskyre to Clonmellon, Co. Westmeath. This well was not depicted on the 1836 edition of the OS 6-inch map, even though it was noted by John O’Donovan (Herity 2001, 17) but it seems to have been defunct even then. The well is marked but not named on the 1912 edition of the map, and it was restored, or rediscovered and reconstituted, in 2008 by the local Historical Society. The well is a rectangular trough (dims 0.8m x 0.6m; max. H 0.85m) with water (D 0.4m). It has a masonry well house built over it and steps leading up to the road level, but the well is c. 1m ground level. (French 2012, 93-4)
Compiled by: Michael Moore
Date of upload: 25 February 2019
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