Architectural fragment in Ballinglanna

The well is built into a slight S-facing slope in ground, in a field of pasture. Water from the spring flows out from it and thus creates a wet boggy area immediately to the front. The well has an apsidal stone-built surround, built into the sloping ground. The top of the vault stones are now exposed, probably due to erosion. The front of the wall has a built façade but this has been damaged and only the west side is now intact; only the two basal stones survive in situ on the east side. The stones from which this façade is built are mostly dressed and two are from the arch of a 15th century ogee-headed window light. They both have a deep outer chamfered edge and a shallow inner chamfer. Only one of these is still in place, the other is now lying loose beside the well. These window stones formed the upper end stones of the facade and are inscribed with the date “1788”. This is presumably the date when the surround of the well was built. The surviving arch stone of the well surround is also likely to be 15th century though it is not chamfered, and judging by the similarity of the dressing on the other stones of the façade these are also likely to late-medieval as well. There is no tradition that this well was ever venerated and is likely to be a secular well. A short distance to the north is a folly building (CO075-094002-) which also contains reused 15th century dressed stone matching in style the well stones and it is likely the well surround and the folly building were built at the same time. These dressed stones must have come from a nearby tower house but there is no tradition or local information regarding this, nor is any castle marked in this location on the OS maps. Compiled by: Denis Power Date of upload: 30 April 2013