St. Garvans Well

Marked on the 1839 and 1924 eds of the OS 6-inch map, and described as St, Garvan’s well in gothic script on both. It is situated in the valley of a N-S stream which is c. 10m to the E. It was mentioned by John O’Donovan writing c. 1840, but the date of the pattern was not known (O’Flanagan 1933, vol. 2, 38) so the particular St. Garbhán to whom it was dedicated cannot be identified (Ó Riain 2011, 362-4). A shallow triangular area (dims c. 5m x c. 5m) with a leat leading to the stream may be the well, but there is no evidence of veneration. Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of upload: 8 November, 2012

St. Garvans Well is associated with St. Garvan, a 6th-century Irish saint known for founding monastic sites in Munster. The well, noted by John O’Donovan, was likely a site of pilgrimage and may have been visited for its supposed healing properties, common to many holy wells linked to early Christian saints.