St. Augustines Well

In a fenced-off area in low-lying scrubby damp ground c. 15m S of the Carrowkeel River, c. 170m north of Kilshanny Church (CL015-027001-) and accessed from a small lane that leads to the church. Marked and labelled ‘St Augustine’s Well’ on the 1840 and 1916 OS 6-inch maps. The well is dedicated to St Augustine and Eugene Curry (OS Letters, Comber, 1997, 98) reported a pattern at the site on St Augustine’s Day, 28 August which formerly attracted large crowds of pilgrims with associated horse-racing up until the 1940s (Lenihan 1997, 53). The well was visited all year round; Lenihan (ibid.) reported that the round consists of ‘five Paters, five Aves and five Glorias said while moving clockwise around the well. The pilgrim does this five times, then finishes at the front of the well, where a further Pater, an Ave and a Creed are said’. The cure at this well is for all ailments and the visit to the well concluded by drinking the well water or rubbing it on the afflicted part of the body, if possible, with moss from the well. Water from the well and sprigs from the large ash tree that formerly grew through the well house were also taken home (ibid.). A holy well with a N-facing D-plan drystone wellhouse. The N façade (Wth 4m; H 2.05m) contains two rectangular recesses, the E recess (H 0.85m; Wth 0.8m) is slightly larger than the W recess (H 0.9m; Wth 0.5m). Both contain glass cases with plaster statues of Our Lady and St Augustine. At ground level beneath the W recess is an oblong opening (Wth 0.4m; H 0.25m) with a step providing access to the well. A slab pavement runs along the N face of the monument. A stream runs N from the well to the adjacent Carrowkeel River. A large ash tree formerly grew from the S half of the monument, and it appears that the wellhouse was built around the tree. The tree was in-situ but dead c. 1998 but has since been completely removed and the central area of the well has been converted to a flower bed (Houlihan 2021). The following images have been uploaded: CL015-028----_01.jpg View of well from NE in 1998 CL015-028----_02.jpg View from SE Reference: Houlihan, M. 2021 Saint Augustine’s Well, Carrowkeel. The Clare Holy Wells Project. Available @ Saint Augustine’s Well, Carrowkeel – County Clare Heritage Office Compiled by: Mary Tunney and Eve Campbell Date of upload: 3 July 2023

St. Augustine’s Well is associated with St. Augustine of Hippo, though more commonly linked in Irish tradition to St. Augustine of Canterbury or a localised saint of similar name; such wells were often sites for healing rituals and the collection of holy water. The well’s proximity to Kilshanny Church suggests a possible medieval Christian tradition of pilgrimage or devotional practice in the area.