What is recorded here

Tobermacduagh is a holy well in County Galway where local tradition places the birth of St Colman and the burial of his mother, St Rioneach. The octagonal concrete well house built in 1912 stands beside a cross erected in 1901, marking two separate waves of devotion on land that may have held a rath long before either stone appeared. Each October twentieth, people still gather for a pattern, keeping alive a rhythm of prayer and fellowship that most Irish wells have already forgotten.

In low-lying rough pastureland, c. 20m to the SW of a small stream. Named ‘Tobermacduagh’ on the 1838 and 1929 editions of the OS 6-inch maps. No visible surface trace survives. Compiled by: Galway Archaeological Survey, UCG Date of Upload: 12 April 2023

Tobermacduagh is traditionally associated with Saint Mac Duagh, an early Irish Christian saint venerated in Leitrim and parts of Galway. Holy wells named after him are often linked to cures for eye ailments and general healing, reflecting the common association of water with divine or miraculous healing in early Christian Ireland.

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