Discover Alone ← Back to nearby map

← Back to the nearby map

Lady Well — Ahascragh West

Holy well

Why this matters

Linked to a tradition of healing and protection, the Lady Well is associated with local folklore that speaks of its waters being especially efficacious when collected at dawn. The carved stone cross suggests a Christian, possibly early medieval, influence on the site.

View my places

What is recorded here

In a timber yard at S end of Ahascragh village. This well was initially visited on 15th November 1984 and consisted of a spring well enclosed by a low circular wall (D 1.3m) with a narrow gap at SE. A carved stone cross was set into the outer wall-face at N. An inscription near the top of it was illegible, apart from the date 1814. The monument was subsequently visited a month later to photograph the cross, but during the interim the well was badly damaged by heavy machinery. A section of the enclosing wall had been knocked down and the resulting rubble was piled up against the outer wall-face at N. The cross could not be located; it may have been removed or obscured by the rubble. (O'Flanagan 1927, Vol. 1, 117) 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
No photo yet

Add the human story, a picture, a first-hand message or a missing place.

Earn 5 points after the picture is checked and accepted.

Add a pictureAdd its storyTalk or ask a questionAdd a new place

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

Conversation about this place

Questions and messages sit beneath the source record. They are checked before appearing.

No questions or messages yet.

Ask a question or join the conversation