What is recorded here

St. Annin's Holy Well is a drystone box beside Ross Lake in County Galway, visited on January 18th according to local tradition. The spring may run dry, but the stones still mark the shape of water remembered by people who came to drink, wash or pray. What is missing is not the well but the life that moved through it, and that absence makes the place easier to imagine.

Close to shore of Ross Lake c. 630m SE of St Annin's Church (GA068-024----). This well, correctly Tobar Ainthín, was noted by O'Flaherty in 1684 (Hardiman 1846, 54). It consists of a natural spring, dry at time of visit, delimited by a rectangular drystone wall (L c. 5m, Wth 3.8m). According to Killanin (1947, 123) it was resorted to on 18th January, St Annin's day. (O'Flanagan 1927a, Vol. 3, 146-7) The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Galway Vol. I - West Galway'. Compiled by Paul Gosling (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1993). Date of upload: 05 August 2010

St. Annin's Holy Well is associated with St. Ainthín, a lesser-known early Irish saint, and was historically visited for its supposed healing properties, particularly for eye ailments. The well's name and early mention by O'Flaherty suggest a long-standing tradition of veneration linked to local Christian heritage.

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