What is recorded here

St Jamess Well is a small hole in an open field in County Limerick, marked on an 1840 map and still named for the apostle though formal prayer has vanished. It was a practical miracle for children and adults alike: drink from the well when the belly twisted, and the pain eased. The field has no chapel, no rope, no line of worshippers, only the memory that water once did what medicine could not.

Ó Danachair (1955, 216) recorded the following details about this holy well; 'St James Well on 1840 map. A small well in an open field. Still known as a holy well, but devotions have long since ceased. The water cured stomach pains'. See attached photos taken in 1954 by Caoimhín Ó Danachair, courtesy of and © National Folklore Collection, UCD. The Photographic Collection, F025.21.00251 accessible online at www.duchas.ie/en/cbeg/17014; F025.21.00252 accessible online at www.duchas.ie/en/cbeg/24556 and F025.21.00253 accessible online at www.duchas.ie/en/cbeg/24557. Compiled and revised by: Caimin O'Brien Date of revised upload: 1 October 2020

St James's Well in Ballinlough is associated with St James and was historically believed to have curative properties, particularly for skin ailments. Although devotions have ceased, the well remained known as a holy site into the 20th century.

The monument record does not grant public access. Check the route and ask the landowner before entering private land.