Why this matters
Linked to St. Laney, Tobermaclaney well was traditionally associated with cures for skin ailments and was visited for ritual washing. The site's name and location suggest it was once a significant pilgrimage site, though its exact history and surviving traditions are now obscure.
What is recorded here
Annotated 'Tobermaclaney' on the 1837 ed. OSi 6-inch map where it is shown standing within a small square-shaped field 12m SW of Carrick martello tower (DU012-040----). No surface remains visible, now underneath road-siding along the beach (Ó Danachair 1958, 79). Building of a pier associated with the martello tower disturbed the well. An 1830 Ordnance recorded the water of the well ran down the hill to form two small pools beside the tower and then ran into the sea beside the curved stone pier (Bolton et al. 2012, 157).
See attached photos (01/02) taken by Caoimhín Ó Danachair, courtesy of and © National Folklore Collection, UCD. The Photographic Collection, F024.06.00378 accessible online at https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbeg/46726; F024.06.00379 accessible online at https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbeg/46727
Compiled by: Geraldine Stout
Updated by: Christine Baker
Revised by: Caimin O'Brien
Date of revised upload: 13 April 2023
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