What is recorded here

Holy well, Clonbern, County Galway: a concrete-lined water source set beside a stream south of Clonbern Church, still marked as a recognised ritual place though no older structure remains visible. It belonged to the ordinary religious life of the area, the kind of well people went to for healing, protection or quiet prayer, and it was noted in local writing as late as the mid-twentieth century. What is lost is not whether it mattered but what its earlier edge, basin or marker looked like; the concrete replaced the very shape that would have made the old use easy to read.

Marked and named as a holy well in SE corner of a field on 1st ed. of OS 6-inch map. However, only the name appears on 3rd ed. (1915). 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 an unidentified saint or local tradition, the well at Keave may have been associated with general healing or fertility rites, as was common with many holy wells in rural Ireland. Its disappearance from the landscape and lack of surviving structures suggest it was a small, possibly seasonal site, maintained through local folklore rather than formal religious practice.

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