St. Eanys Well

Some 20m N of a round tower (GA119-006005-) at the foot of a low limestone outcrop. Named 'Dabhach Éinné, Dolium Endei' in OS Letters (O'Flanagan 1927a, Vol. 3, 347), it is known locally as Tobar Éinne. It consists of a natural spring, delimited by drystone walls (E-W 0.95m) and roofed with lintels, which opens to E. A roughly rectangular drystone altar or leacht (L 1.6m, Wth 1.1m, H 0.9m), surmounted by a modern cross slab, stands 1m to N (see GA119-006002-). Another holy well (GA119-006003-) lies c. 40m to NE. (Westropp 1895, 263) 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). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. The following image has been uploaded: GA119-006001-_01.jpg Holy well to left; altar (GA119-006002-) to right Updated by: Olive Alcock Date of revised upload: 4 November 2021 This monument was taken into Ownership under the National Monuments Acts 1930 to 2014 - National Monument 43.

St. Eanys Well, or Tobar Éinne, is associated with the early Irish saint Eanys, whose name appears in medieval Irish sources, possibly linked to the 7th-century St. Enda of Aran. The well was traditionally visited for healing and protection, with rituals often involving the collection of water for sick or ailing family members.