What is recorded here

Tobernagleenagh is a hidden holy well in County Cork where local tradition claims a refused saint carried water from elsewhere and dropped it into the earth. That sudden gift still belongs to people who remember the well as a cure, even though grass and forgetfulness have swallowed the basin. The story turns refusal into generosity, making the hidden water an act of patience rather than loss.

In pasture, on NW edge of boggy area shown as pond on 1937 OS 6-inch map. Well barely visible due to overgrowth, no longer in holy use. Recorded by Grove White (1905-25, vol. 1, 140) as holy well '...called Tobernagleenagh. According to local tradition, a saint was passing through Kilmaclenine (about 2 miles to the north), and being thirsty he asked for a drink of water from a well there. It was refused. He took up the well in the tail of his gown and dropped it at Ballykitt. The water is considered a cure for all diseases. The people pay rounds here.' The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Cork. Volume 4: North Cork' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 2000). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload/revision: 14 January 2009

Linked to Saint Nicholas (Nagleenagh being a variant of his name), the well was traditionally associated with cures for skin ailments and general healing. It is mentioned in early 20th-century folklore collections as a site of local veneration, though its holy use has since ceased.

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