What is recorded here

St. Columbkilles Holy Wells sit in the NE corner of a graveyard, not far from a children’s burial ground, and they may have been used to pray for the smallest lives before they were written down. Two stone-edged wells, one oval and one nearly square, are joined under brambles and trees, and that shape suggests people kept returning to the same water instead of forgetting it. The name St. Columbkille may be later than the digging, but the act is plain: go to the edge of the grave yard, lower a hand into cold water, and ask for what cannot be carried home.

Located in the NE corner of a graveyard (GA105-029002-) associated with a church (GA105-029001-). Holy wells named ‘St. Columbkille’s Holy Wells’ on the OS 6-inch maps consist of two conjoined wells. The most northerly one (GA105-029003-) is oval in plan (L 1.36m; Wth 1.15m; D 1.2m) and defined by a low wall. The southerly well (GA105-029004-) is subrectanular in plan (L 1m; Wth 0.8m; D 0.9m) and is also defined by a wall. Both are overgrown with brambles and trees. A children’s burial ground lies c. 10m to the E. (McCaffrey 1952, 254) Compiled by: Galway Archaeological Survey, UCG Date of upload: 27 January 2020

St. Columbkille’s Holy Wells at Boherduff are associated with the 6th-century Irish saint Columba, known for his role in Christianizing Scotland and Ireland. Traditionally, such wells were believed to have healing properties, particularly for eye ailments and general well-being, and were often sites of pilgrimage and seasonal rituals.

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