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Toberinneenboy

Holy well

What is recorded here

Toberinneenboy is a holy well in County Clare, Ireland, cut into karst pavement and marked on maps since 1842. Tradition ties it to Iníon Baoith, though later memory shifted it toward St Colman, reminding us that devotion moves like water through stone. Its broken wall, hidden crucifix and dropped coins suggest people still came here to bargain, confess or simply touch the living rock.
At the W end of a small hollow in an area of level karstic pavement. Marked and named ‘Toberinneenboy’ on the 1842 and 1920 eds. of the OS 6-inch map. Westropp (1900-1902, 109) recorded a tradition that this well was dedicated to ‘Inghean Baoith’ (Iníon Baoith), the patron saint of the neighbouring parish of Kilnaboy, but more recently it appears to have been associated with St Colman (Brew 1998, 57). This holy well comprises a natural bedrock basin (L 1.1m; Wth 1.05m) surrounded by a damaged circular drystone wall which incorporates large stones. The wall (int. H 1.5m; ext. H 0.8m; Wth 0.7m) remains upstanding only at the W, and is partly intact from W to N; elsewhere it has fallen and partly obscures the well (Kirby 2021). A narrow rock-cut channel (Wth 0.5m) extends E from the well. During an inspection in 2000 a lead/pewter crucifix was found on the wall at the W, and there were some coins amongst the stones. Just W of the well is a suboval penitential cairn (CL011-006001-). The following image has been uploaded: CL011-006----_01.jpg View of holy well from N with penitential station (CL011-006001-) in the background. Compiled by: Mary Tunney and Conn Herriott Date of upload: 18 January 2023 Brew, F 1998 The Parish of Kilkeedy: a local history, published by Author, Tubber.
Linked to Saint Gobnait, the well was traditionally associated with cures for eye ailments and was visited on her feast day, May 13th. The site was once dedicated to a local holy woman and was known for its spring water believed to have healing properties.

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Recorded monument

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