What is recorded here

St. Patricks Well in County Louth is a small square pool, half a metre across, set into live rock and marked on maps from 1835 to 1910. People once tied rags, medals and walking sticks to a nearby bush, perhaps believing the water could touch what medicine cannot. By 1966 the path had gone quiet, leaving only stones and memory beside the green pool.

Marked 'St. Patrick's Well' on the 1835 and 1910 'OS 6-inch' maps. According to the OS Letters a station was held here. It is an almost square pool, 1.5m across, surrounded by outcrop and a stone setting. Various local legends and cures associated with it (IFC Schools MSS 933, 128-9) and it was noted that rags, medals and walking sticks were left on a bush alongside, long ago (IFC Schools MSS 665, 175). By 1966 it was no longer visited. Compiled by: Claire Breen Date of upload: 23 November 2011

Linked to St. Patrick, the well is traditionally associated with healing and protection, with pilgrimages and water rituals likely observed in pre-modern times. The stone setting and historical mapping suggest a long-standing sacred or ceremonial use.

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