What is recorded here

No well exists in Burnchurch. O’Kelly mentioned a Lady's Well beside Saint Dallan's well, but maps never marked it. It may have been a drinking trough, a forgotten shrine or a mistaken memory. The absence is the shape of the story: a woman's name preserved only through another man's passing mention.

While referring to ‘Saint Dallan’s well’ (KK023-053003- original location / KK023-054---- present location), O’Kelly (1969, 175) mentions, ‘there is also a Lady’s Well in the same field’. This suggests a possible holy well dedicated to Our Lady. There is no other well indicated on the 1st (1839) ed. OS 6-inch map or on the 1947 revision in the fields where St Dallan’s Well is indicated. The precise location of this possible holy well is unknown. Compiled by: Jean Farrelly Date of upload: 8 September 2021

Linked to Saint Dallan, the holy well in Burnchurch is associated with traditional healing practices and may have been a site of pilgrimage. Local tradition suggests the well was revered for its curative properties, particularly for women’s ailments, reflecting a common theme in Irish holy well folklore.

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