What is recorded here

Tobernasoal is a hidden holy well in County Cork where a tiny spring once fed a shallow basin at the foot of a little hill. People believed its water could ease eye complaints, and they paid rounds there until the practice faded from living memory. Now the path is lost and the well overgrown, leaving behind a quiet place where vision itself may have been tested before it was changed.

Overgrown and inaccessible. According to Hartnett (1939, 252), 'a tiny spring issues from the foot of a little hill and forms a shallow well....rounds were paid here, but not within living memory'. Believed to have cured eye complaints (O'Donoghue 1986, 270). Second holy well (CO084-103----) c. 200m to N. The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Cork. Volume 3: Mid Cork' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1997). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload/revision: 14 January 2009 Images provided by and copyright of Amanda Clarke 2016-2022 https://holywellscorkandkerry.com/

Tobernasoal is associated with Saint Nasoal, a lesser-known early Irish saint, and was traditionally believed to have curative properties, particularly for ailments of the eyes. The site was once a place of pilgrimage where people walked rounds as part of a devotional practice, though this has not been observed recently.

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