St. Fiachras Well

On the W bank of the River Nore which lies c. 90m to the E. St Fiachra's church (KK020-050001-) and graveyard (KK020-050002-) are located c. 60m to the NW. According to Carrigan (1905, vol. 3, 221), this 'is a celebrated holy well. Public devotions were carried out here, on St. Fiachra's day (Aug. 30th), till a few years ago'. According to O'Kelly (1969, 183), at the well 'a Calvary was erected circa 40 years ago [c. 1930]'. It is enclosed by a stone wall and is covered, with a flat lintel over the entrance. An archaeological excavation was carried out in the immediate vicinity of the well in 1983, in advance of the laying of the Cork-Dublin gas pipeline (Cotter and Lehane 1987, 153-6). A number of cobbled surfaces and a trackway were uncovered which were designed to drain and make passable the area adjacent to the holy well (ibid. 156). These were found to date from the 18th and 19th century and were constructed to facilitate visitors to the holy well, probably particularly for the pattern (ibid.) Compiled by: Jean Farrelly Date of upload: 9 December 2020

St. Fiachra's Well is associated with the 7th-century Irish saint Fiachra of Ross, a companion of St. Patrick, and is traditionally believed to have healing properties, particularly for eye ailments and skin conditions. The well and its surrounding church and graveyard reflect a long-standing Christian and folk tradition in the region, with historical references dating back to the early 20th century.