What is recorded here

Holy Well in County Galway is a circular drystone basin dedicated to Our Lady, set in a hilly woodland clearing. It was dry during inspection, yet old rags and rosary beads still hang on a nearby tree beside a small cabinet holding a statue and flowers. People may have kept coming to ask for help, leave proof of thanks or simply sit with the quiet difficulty of wanting relief and receiving silence.

In a small clearing in hilly woodland. This well-preserved circular drystone-built holy well (diam. 1m), dedicated to Our Lady, was dry on the day of the site inspection. It is accessed by four stone steps at SE. Some 2m to its NE a low drystone-built cairn is surmounted by a small wooden cabinet containing a statue and flowers. Old rags and rosary beads hang on a nearby tree. Compiled by: Galway Archaeological Survey, UCG Date of upload: 3 January 2018

Dedicated to the Virgin Mary, the Holy Well at Derrycrag is associated with traditional Catholic devotional practices, particularly in times of drought or personal hardship. While specific cures are not recorded, such wells were often visited for general prayers and blessings, reflecting broader medieval and early modern Marian pilgrimage traditions in Ireland.

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