What is recorded here

Ladys Well sits in boggy ground at the base of a rock-face in County Cork, Ireland. A cement front now blocks the water, ending its holy use, yet the clay and stone still hold the shape of repeated prayer. Women may have knelt there in darkness, lifting cold water for fever or fertility, while men walked past believing they understood everything about the place. The well no longer gives itself to ceremony, but it remembers the hands that changed it.

In boggy ground, at base of rock-face. Cement front. No longer in holy use. Holy well (CO097-005---) to W. The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Cork. Volume 2: East and South Cork' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1994). 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 a local tradition of healing, the well may have been dedicated to a saint or local figure associated with fertility or protection, as was common in early Irish holy wells. The site’s location in a natural setting suggests it was once a place of seasonal pilgrimage or ritual washing for ailments.

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