Why this matters
to have been the site where St. Gamhna, a local early Christian saint, performed a miracle involving a calf, which led to the well’s reputation for healing livestock. The name and tradition reflect a blend of pre-Christian and Christian elements, common in many Irish holy wells.
What is recorded here
In pasture. This spring well is within a relatively modern stone setting. In 1837 O’Donovan recorded that this well retained ‘a name of the most remote antiquity, namely Tober Gamhna, or the Well of the Calf. It was said to be the source of Lough Gowna. According to a local man, Farrell Linchy who was almost 100 years old, it was ‘a well of great sanctity’ in the old days but it was ‘stopped up some years ago by the hand of cultivation (OSL, 4-5). No longer in use.
Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien
Date of upload: 7 June 2013
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