St. John the Baptists Well

Located towards the bottom of a S-facing slope. The holy well of St John the Baptist, a natural spring, is c. 50m to the NW of the parish church of Kilmacomb (WA027-006001-). J. O'Donovan, writing c. 1840 (O'Flanagan 1929, 7-8), thought that it was dedicated to St. John the Baptist, but Power (1890-91) thought that it was dedicated to St. Mathew as the pattern was held on the 21st September. O'Flanagan, M. (Compiler) (1929) Letters containing information relative to the antiquities of the county of Waterford collected during the progress of the Ordnance Survey in 1841. Typescript. Bray. Power, Rev. P. (1890-91) The ancient ruined churches of Co. Warterford. JRSAI 20-21, 475-82. Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of upload/revision: 31 May 2011

St. John the Baptist's Well is associated with the patron saint of the summer solstice and is traditionally linked to healing and purification. The well may have been a site of early Christian pilgrimage, with customs such as the collection of water on St John's Day (24 June) for blessings and remedies.