What is recorded here

Anatrim Church stands beside St. Kabans Well, where a broad limestone flag blocks most of the mouth. Its smooth top bears an incised circle and two shallow elliptical dips, marking the water as a ritual site rather than an ordinary drink. People may have touched those marks or poured offerings into the well, treating the stone as a boundary between the visible world and something older.

Situated NW of Anatrim Church (LA016-016003-). Projecting inward from S side of St Kaban's Well (LA016-016002-), and filling the greater part of its mouth, is a large limestone flag (dims. 1.6m x 1.15m, T c. 0.45m) decorated on its smooth upper surface with an incised circle and two elliptical depressions (dims. 0.11m x 0.05m; D 0.04-0.06m) (Elizabeth FitzPatrick 1991). The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Laois' (Dublin Stationery Office, 1995) compiled by P. David Sweetman, Olive Alcock and Bernie Moran. In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload: 17 December 2007

St. Kaban's Well and Stone is associated with the early Christian saint St. Kaban, who is believed to have been a 7th-century monk and hermit linked to the monastery at Iniscian, County Limerick. The stone may have originally served as a font or ritual marker, and holy wells dedicated to St. Kaban were traditionally visited for cures related to skin ailments and general healing.

The monument record does not grant public access. Check the route and ask the landowner before entering private land.