What is recorded here

Holy Well is a rock-cut spring beside a Galway church where a mortised stone block still marks the edge of old ritual life. The well sits fifteen metres from a small stream, with a second water source across the bank and a children’s burial ground nearby, suggesting this was a place for cleansing, loss and memory as much as drinking. People may have knelt at the penitential station, poured water over stones or brought sick children to its cold edge, trusting the land to witness what prayer could not finish.

On level ground, c. 15m to the N of a small stream and c. 40m to the SE of a church (GA14-066001-). This is a natural spring well in a rock cut depression (L 1.5m; Wth 0.75m). A small rectangular cut-stone block with a mortise hole on its upper face lies beside it. A possible penitential station (GA114-066005-) lies c. 5m to the SW. A second well (GA114-066004-) lies just across the stream to the S. It may also have had some religious significance. A children's burial ground (GA114-066003-) lies c. 15m to the SW. Compiled by: Galway Archaeological Survey, UCG Date of upload: 31 January 2020

Linked to Saint Gobnait, the well is traditionally associated with cures for eye ailments and fertility. Local folklore suggests that the water was once used in rituals to ensure safe childbirth and the health of livestock.

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