Why this matters
St. Annes Well is associated with St. Anne, the mother of the Virgin Mary, and was the site of a pattern or pilgrimage held on 26th July, a tradition that continued until around 1840. The well may have been visited for healing or fertility-related purposes, as was common with many wells dedicated to St. Anne in Ireland.
What is recorded here
Located on a gentle S-facing slppe in the foothills of the Blackstairs Mountains with a N-S stream c. 35m to the W. According to John O'Donovan writing c. 1840 a pattern was performed at the well on 26th July until c. 1824 (O'Flanagan 1933, vol. 2, 102). The well is a drystone walled feature (dims. c. 1m x c. 1.5m) now covered by a wooden shrine structure that contains numerous statues. The well is within a concrete enclosure (dims. c. 3m x c. 2m) defined by a concrete wall. The church (WX018-012001-) and graveyard (WX018-012002-) are c. 160m to the N.
Compiled by: Michael Moore
Date of upload: 22 May, 2012
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