Holy well in Shannera Upper

The spring well at this location is probably the one referred to in the IFC Schools' Collection as a holy well beneath a 'huge sally tree'. Bushes now surround the site, which is not marked on the OS maps. Folklore collected from Kilgobnet School recorded the following details; 'There are two holy wells in the district one at Shanara and one at Dunloe. The well at Shanara is called Glunóg and the well at Dunloe is called Tobhair Críost. There is a holy (well) at Shanara. It is in Dan Cahill's farm at Shanara. This is called "Glunóg." There is a little stream rising out of this well. Rounds are paid to this well at certain times of the year. On St John's day and at Michaelmas are the chief times for paying rounds. A great number of people in the district give journeys to the well. They have to come to the well in the early morning. They should not be seen by anybody or the rounds would be no use. When people pay rounds they wash themselves in the little stream flowing into it. They also take three sips of the water and say in the name of the father, and the Son and of the Holy Ghost' (The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0471, Pages 394-5;https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4742110/4736932/4816945). Folklore collected from Gortnaskarry School recorded the following tradition about this well; 'There is a well in a farm in Shanara owned by Daniel Cahill. It is supposed to be a very holy well. Invalids come from many places to pay rounds there and to get cured. They must have the rounds given before sunrise. It happened a poor blind man came there about sixty years ago to pay rounds, and after finishing his rounds when he was leaving the well he saw a sow and a litter of bonhams running through the field. One night about nine o'clock a woman was bringing water from this well. A priest appeared to her with a white collar on him. "Oh woman" says he "if ye knew the good of this water ye would not be coming so late for it". The well is covered all over with a huge sally tree. An old man from the townland of Shanavala was thatching his home. He cut the branches of this tree for spars to thatch his house with them. Some time after his house was burned so there was never since a branch cut off that tree (The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0469, Pages 111-2;https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4742102/4736047/4824223). The above description is derived from A. O'Sullivan and J. Sheehan (compilers), 'The Iveragh peninsula: an archaeological survey of South Kerry'. Cork University Press (1996), no. 1083. In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload: 31 July 2013