Holy Well — Rathfran

In a narrow depression at the base of a W-facing slope of a hillock, on the W margins of a graveyard (MA015-031002-). There is a medieval church (MA015-031001-) 90m to SE on top of the hill. Indicated on the 1838 and 1922 OS 6-inch maps as ‘Holy Well’, the rectangular housing (int. dims. 1.05m E−W; 0.6m N−S; H 0.82m) of mortared stone captures a natural spring which flows from the base of the slope. The structure is built into the hill slope. The façade is well finished with regular-shaped blocks of stone, and is topped by a roughly triangular apex incorporating a small rectangular recess. There is a central rectangular opening into the interior which is roofed by a single horizontal slab. The outflow from the well extends to W, in a shallow, open channel which intersects with a stream flowing SE into the estuary. The well was dedicated to St. Brendan, and was traditionally visited on Garland Sunday (Bradley and Dunne 1989, 45). Attached image: MA015-031003-_01.JPG viewed from NW Compiled by: Jane O'Shaughnessy Date of upload: 24 October 2018