St Colmans Well

This is marked on the 1840-41 and 1914 OS maps as 'St Colman's Well' (Tobar Colmáin). Situation and Description: It is now closed up and the water piped to Ballylongford. Rounds: No devotions have taken place here in living memory. The well was visited on Midsummer's Eve, and the water was known to cure aches and pains. Legends: A woman washed clothes in the well and it dried up. Folklore collected from Ballylongford School recorded the following tradition about this well; ‘There are two holy wells in the parish of Ballylongford. One of them is Saint Coleman's well, and it is situated in the townland of Ballymackessy about a mile from the village of Ballylongford. Long ago, people visited this well on Saint John's eve and they brought home some of the water from the well, and if they got any diseases during the year they would bathe the diseased part in the water. This well is not visited at all nowadays' (The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0402, Page 075; https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4666580/4663715). The above description is derived from C. Toal, ‘North Kerry Archaeological Survey’. Dingle. Brandon in association with FAS Training and Employment Authority (1995), no. 892. In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Revised by: Caimin O’Brien Date of revised upload: 17 May 2022

St Colman's Well is associated with St Colman, an early Irish Christian saint traditionally linked to the spread of Christianity in Munster. The well was likely a site of pilgrimage and healing, with the closure of the site and the diversion of its water reflecting changes in religious practice and infrastructure in the region.