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Honey Tree — Coollemoneen

Ritual site — holy tree/bush

Why this matters

The site is associated with Saint Gobnait, a 6th-century Irish saint known for her healing powers, particularly in curing bee-related stings and ailments of the eyes. Local tradition holds that the sycamore tree and holy well were places of pilgrimage and penitential practices, with the cairn marking a site of ritual significance.

What is recorded here

In rough pasture, on the N-facing slope of a low rise. A mature sycamore tree grows on the S edge of a penitential cairn (SL034-070002-). Wood-Martin (1892, 372) referred to the many legends and traditions attached to this tree 'some of which are yet current'. In 1836 it was noted that Catholics are said to have performed stations here (OSNB vol. 1, 468). It is known locally as a site of stations or 'pattern'. The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Sligo' compiled by Ursula Egan, Elizabeth Byrne, Mary Sleeman with Sheila Ronan and Connie Murphy (Dublin Stationery Office, 2005). Date of upload: 18 January 2008
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