Holy well in Lucan Demesne

Annotated 'Oratory' (DU017-020----) on the Cassini ed. OSi 6-inch and depicted as a rectangular structure aligned NE-SW on the demesne of Lucan House which stands 365m to the NE and 25m S of the River Liffey. Known as St. John's Oratory this is an 18th century bath house which appears to have enclosed a possible holy well dedicated to St. John (Daly 1957,18). The well was described by Lewis (1837) as; 'within the grounds is a monument to one of the Sarsfield family, near which are an ancient oratory, dedicated to St. John, and thickly covered with ivy, and a holy well'. Described by Daly (1957, 18-19) as; 'we come to one of the of the 18th century sulphurous spas, that at Lucan. It was discovered in 1758 in the demesne of Agmondisham Vesey a mile from his residence, a little to the north of the chalybeate spring in the same neighbourhood, formerly of some repute but by then neglected. It is possible that this latter spring was that which supplied water to the bath house, which in Mrs. Delaney's was next to Mrs. Vesey's dairy; this bath house was thought to have been originally an oratory. There might also be here with the holy well, Tobernaclugg, which in time past had been dedicated to St. John. The Lucan well was almost 7 feet [2.1m] long, 2 feet [0.6m] broad and 15 inches deep, yielding a yielding a large supply of water. it was situated on the brink of the river Liffey, which in times of flood and winter months overflowed the well; this however Mr. Vesey, to a great extent, prevented by the erection of a wall. It was reported that the Lucan waters possessed virtues beneficial in cutaneous and other similar diseases; further, that the muddy substance applied in cases of chronic rheumatism and paralytic limbs, leprosy, herpes, impetigo, itch and ringworm proved successful. A story is told of a man who suffered from loose teeth and sore gums; he was told to wash out his mouth with the water and then drink some of it. He did all this and then declared that he was completely cured. It would appear that the water was introduced into Steeven's Hospital prior to 1766 for the cure. Rutty's opinion of the water was that "it tasted of a boiled egg and when strongest of a putrid one; it smelt like a solution of sulphur." This was only to be expected, seeing that it was a sulphur spa. The spa continued to be held in high esteem until about 1845, when that capricious jade, fashion, whose tastes can never be commanded, withdrew her favour and the attendance'. Folklore collected in 1937 from Lucan School recorded the following tradition about this well; 'In Lucan Demesne the place known as the 'Bath House' and which covers a lovely spring is really an old Holy Well oratory, disguised skilfully by the early Protestant owners, by means of a false front of 'honeycombed' limestone block from the river bed, and a deep covering of ivy and overgrowth. Since the ivy was removed the oratory is seems to be an exact copy of the ruins of St. Mary's Church in the graveyard in the Demesne beside the ruins of Sarsfield Castle. A closed up doorway in the demesne wall nearby at Tandy's Lane, may have been for the former public right of way to it, but all tradition of "Stations" is lost; but the attached acknowledgement from the National Museum Authorities of ancient small token found there in Mr C O'Connors time 29-06-34 shows that it was a place of devotion' (The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0794, Page 306; https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4428214/4386571/4456549?ChapterID=4428214) Rutty, J. 1757 The Mineral Waters of Ireland. Dublin. Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien Date of upload: 9 May 2023