What is recorded here

Lady Well stood in a timber yard at the south end of Ahascragh village, marked by a carved cross bearing the date 1814. Heavy machinery destroyed the wall and buried the cross before it could be photographed, erasing the visible proof of its ritual history. The water likely still flows beneath the rubble, waiting for someone to remember the place rather than measure it.

In a timber yard at S end of Ahascragh village. This well was initially visited on 15th November 1984 and consisted of a spring well enclosed by a low circular wall (D 1.3m) with a narrow gap at SE. A carved stone cross was set into the outer wall-face at N. An inscription near the top of it was illegible, apart from the date 1814. The monument was subsequently visited a month later to photograph the cross, but during the interim the well was badly damaged by heavy machinery. A section of the enclosing wall had been knocked down and the resulting rubble was piled up against the outer wall-face at N. The cross could not be located; it may have been removed or obscured by the rubble. (O'Flanagan 1927, Vol. 1, 117) 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 a tradition of healing and protection, the Lady Well is associated with local folklore that speaks of its waters being especially efficacious when collected at dawn. The carved stone cross suggests a Christian, possibly early medieval, influence on the site.

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