St. Finians Well

Marked on the 1911 'OS 6-inch' map as 'St. Fintan's Well'. The OS Letters refer to a well called 'Tobar Fiondáin' (CLAJ 1923, 200). When inspected by ASI in 1966 it was described as a circular stone lined well, filled with stagnant water and covered with briars and bushes. Stations were held on St. Finnian's Festival - 8th October (Coyle 1956, 196-8). According to tradition emigrants bound for America drank the water to make sure they returned. A smaller well was built close-by for domestic purposes. Compiled by: Claire Breen Date of upload: 4 July 2012

St. Finian's Well is associated with St. Fiondáin (or Fintan), an early Irish saint linked to several holy sites in Ireland. Traditionally, such wells were believed to have curative properties and were often sites of pilgrimage and ritual, particularly on feast days.