What is recorded here

O’Kelly named a hidden St. Michael's entry beneath Ballyda in 1969, giving that town a sudden point of entry for the boy's fire, but neither the 1839 survey nor the 1947 revision could be made to show it. The claim may have been a memory, a mistake, or a warning about the limits of drawing; in any case it deprived the boy of one of his ordinary rooms. I keep returning to the absence because a place that cannot be found may still be occupying somebody.

According to O’Kelly (1969, 180) in Ballyda townland, ‘There was also a St. Michael’s (Mickle’s) Well’. This is not indicated on the 1st (1839) ed. OS 6-inch map or on the 1947 revision. The location of this holy well within the townland is unknown. Compiled by: Jean Farrelly Date of upload: 8 September 2021

Linked to St. Michael, the holy well in Ballyda was traditionally associated with healing and protection, as was common with wells dedicated to this archangel in Irish tradition. Although the well is no longer marked on modern maps, early references suggest it was known locally for its spiritual and curative significance.

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