St. Cronans Well

Situated in a low-lying area at the base of a steep hill which lies to the NW. A covered, circular well (Wth 1.7m; H 2.2m) of keyhole plan with the entrance (L 2m; Wth 0.76m) at SE. A wall (Wth 0.35m) encloses five steps which lead down to the entrance. The well is built of sandstone with crude cement mortar. Three iron bars support a crude stone 'lintel' consisting of stones set on edge. The well is c. 1m above external ground level and has an external cement cap smoothed over a corbelled roof. The above description is derived from 'The Archaeological Inventory of County Tipperary. Vol. 1 - North Tipperary' compiled by Jean Farrelly and Caimin O'Brien (Dublin: Stationery Office, 2002). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload/revision: 22 September 2008

St. Cronan's Well is associated with St. Cronan, an early Irish Christian saint known for founding monastic sites in the 6th century. The well is traditionally linked to healing cures, particularly for eye ailments, and was likely a site of pilgrimage and ritual cleansing in pre-modern times.