What is recorded here

Tobereany is a lost holy well in County Galway, recorded near a church and a small stream before the land swallowed its marker. A large ash tree once stood over the water, casting shadow across prayers and cups dipped in the dark. The well vanished without a ridge or stone to prove it existed, leaving only the memory of refreshment in a forgotten field.

Some 200m N of a church (GA056-055001-), adjacent to a small stream. Marked on 1st ed. of OS 6-inch map. According to OS Letters (O'Flanagan 1927, Vol. 1, 187), it was called 'St. Eny's holy well ... a large and venerable ash tree grows over it'. No visible surface trace survives. 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

Linked to St. Eny (or Ennia), a 5th-century Irish saint associated with several holy wells in Munster. The well was considered healing, particularly for eye ailments, and was visited with traditional rituals such as circling the site sunwise and making offerings.

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