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Ritual site

Ritual site, holy tree/bush
Ritual site
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What is recorded here

Castle Bellew, Galway, Ireland. A dried-up holy well, marked only by a pile of rubble and a group of trees, holds a tree whose hollow trunk is reputed to lodge curative water. The site is recorded in the Archaeological Inventory of County Galway Vol. II - North Galway, compiled by Olive Alcock, Kathy de hÓra and Paul Gosling, and published in 1999.
Some 150m N of Castle Bellew (GA045-009001-). A dried-up holy well (GA045-010002-), the site of which is marked by a pile of rubble and a group of trees. According to Claffey (1983, 149), 'The tree to the north-east of the group is reputed to have curative water that lodges in a hollow in its trunk'. The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Galway Vol. II - North Galway'. Compiled by Olive Alcock, Kathy de hÓra and Paul Gosling (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1999). Date of upload: 08 August 2016
This site is associated with a holy well that has dried up, traditionally linked to local healing practices; the surrounding trees and rubble may mark a place of pilgrimage or ritual. The well and tree were likely venerated for their curative properties, with such sites often connected to early Christian saints or pre-Christian folklore traditions.

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Recorded monument

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