Why this matters

Linked to St Mary, the well was a site of seasonal pilgrimage and communal gathering in the early 18th century, with crowds assembling in August and September. Such holy wells were often associated with healing traditions and Marian devotion in rural Ireland.

What is recorded here

At the bottom of a S-facing slope. In 1704 Edmund Goldsmith, uncle of the poet, Oliver, complained in a letter of the large crowd that assembled at St Mary's well near Elphin during August and would meet again in September (Burke 1914, 446). This is an oval well (dims 1.7m N-S; 1.2m E-W) retained by drystone walling (max. H 1.2m) with a stream flowing off to the S. It is still venerated, and a pattern is held between Aug. 15th and Sep. 8th. Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of revised upload: 18 August 2015

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